


Chemistry (Louis Tomlinson)

by 1dfangirl



Category: Louis Tomlinson - Fandom, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No One Direction, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 09:29:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 49
Words: 73,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17722589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1dfangirl/pseuds/1dfangirl
Summary: "The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is a reaction, both are transformed."Alexia Holloway has the perfect life, good grades, great friends and a promising future. She knows what she wants and how to get there and stays on the straight and narrow path to achieving her goals.Louis Tomlinson is the big man on campus, popular, funny and attractive. He seems to have it all but beneath the surface couldn't be more different.A chemistry assignment will lead to changes neither of them would have seen coming.





	1. Chapter 1

College. The first step to adulthood. A time to be independent. Some people say it's the time to party and some, like my parents, say it's the time to focus on your future. That's what my mom is once again lecturing me about as we begin to the boxes piling around the small dorm room that will become my home for the next year. 

My side of the room is completely bare, with white walls starkly contrasting the now colorful area that has been claimed by my roommate. "Now remember, you are at college to get an education. Use this time wisely," she says as she sets my shoes in the bottom of my closet- if you could call the small wooden wardrobe a closet.

"I know mom," I say with a roll of my eyes. The "talk" about what is expected of me this year, why my college experience has to be so focused on my academics, and how important this is for my future, has been given to me countless times in the weeks approaching move-in. 

"I'm just reminding you. It's not going to be easy. You will need to put some effort into what you do to be successful. I trust that you will make good decisions," she says. 

I nod. It's a lecture I could recite in my sleep and one that is quite unnecessary. I have always been a good student and I don't expect to fall from those graces anytime in the near future, I know what is at stake. 

My mom insists on helping meticulously hang the pictures from home on my wall, a finishing touch that I could surely do later. She points to my dad, standing off to the side of the room, observing the whole ordeal, and orders him to hang up the string lights we had packed from home. As she finishes the pictures she goes on to make my bed, setting the silver sequin throw pillows just so as if we were showing off my room to a potential buyer. 

I sigh. All these little details seem like a lot of work for when my room will just become a mess in a week anyway, but I guess if my mom feels more at ease doing it this way, I'll do it this way. On the outside, I try to seem engaged with the whole design process, but inside I'm itching for my parents to leave and to get some independence.   
I've been waiting for this day for months, the day I would finally be out on my own. It isn't that I don't love living with my parents, but the constant nagging is something I am eager to have eliminated from my life. Although I won't admit it to my mother, I definitely am nervous about the transition to college and living up to all the expectations seemingly thrown upon me. But I'll figure it out, I always do. 

Mom appears to be finishing up her tidying phase and has taken a spot next to my dad to stare at her handiwork. My hot pink comforter is now perfectly complemented with silver pillows on my bed, while white string lights illuminate the space from above. I swear I see her eyes getting a little watery, and I know she's just as nervous as I am for me to be off on my own.

"I think it looks great," my dad adds in with a smile, obviously trying to cue to my mother that maybe it was their time to go.

"Call me later," my mom's voice hides back emotion as she wraps me in a hug. "I love you."

"Love you too," I say.

"Be smart," my dad says as he gives me a hug.

"I will," I repeat for what appears to be the fiftieth time. 

"Okay, have fun!" my mom smiles at my roommate Marie as she sits on her bed. Then they finally leave the premises.

"Sorry about that," I smile at Marie as I plop down on my bed. She seems perfectly normal and at first glance it appears I ended up with a good roommate. I could breathe easy knowing that unless some crazy pothead was deep inside of her, we should get along great. I had been lucky. I only hoped my crazy parents hadn't left too much of a bad impression on her.

"It's okay it happens to everyone, I was lucky enough to have my parents leave before you got here," we both laugh.

"Were you going to the start of the year activities tonight?" I ask. The big event has been a source of great anxiety for me the past few weeks. I didn't want to show up and attend some school-wide function knowing absolutely no one. I have never been one of those people who could talk to anyone for hours. I like having someone I knew around, some sense of familiarity. But college was all about making new friends and I am hoping Marie can be the first name I add to that list.

"Ya, do you want to go together?" Marie replies.

"You can read my mind." I say with a laugh.

"So you're the first one to head off to college?" Marie asks as she stands in front of the mirror applying a coat of mascara.

"Yep, how about you?" I ask, eager to learn more about the girl I would be living with for the next two semesters.

"My sister goes here, she's a sophomore," Marie says with a roll of her eyes as she fluffs her shoulder-length dark brown hair.

"You don't get along?" I feel I already know the answer.

"Sophia has a different mindset than me, she is quite the diva. If you ever meet her, you'll know why. She's dating Liam Payne," Marie's eyes grow wide.

"Am I supposed to know who that is?" I ask with a laugh. I am glad my roommate knows more about the culture of the university than I do. She will serve as a good guide in the crazy next few weeks. I have never been one to know much gossip, I was never sure who was dating who or how so and so broke up. I don't imagine college being any different.

"He's pretty famous around here," Marie states, "You'll know him when you see him. He's very good looking. Sort of a bad boy," she adds and I already know her head is in the clouds. Great, I now know that at least one of the cute guys is taken. Maybe finding a college guy will be harder than I thought.

"What do you wear to something like this?" I ask attempting to dig through the clothes my mother had so kindly organized for me. When she organized something you could never find it, ever.

"I'm going cute and casual, gotta catch some eyes ya know," Marie puts on her best flirtatious smile and we both laugh.

"You don't have a boyfriend?" I ask, by the way Marie had described Liam I was guessing not.

"I wish," she says with a roll of her eyes. "Do you?"

"Fortunately no. Which means college is a whole new world." To tell the truth I've never had a boyfriend, but I'm not about to admit that to Marie. At eighteen, people expected you'd had a relationship but I haven't had that luxury. Maybe I am just too picky or intimidating, or maybe it is just the fact that good looking guys were hard to come by in my small hometown. Either way, I am hoping college will be a little difference. With a campus population of nearly ten times my graduating class, it had to be.

"It really is. I have visited my sister a few times and I mean the amount of cute guys is endless. Now some of them are complete jerks but I mean its good to have some eye candy every once and awhile," Marie fake licks her lips making me laugh.

"I cant wait to see," I laugh. I finally pull out a pair of high waisted denim shorts and a flowy coral tank top from my mom's so called organized closet. "Look ok?" I show my chosen outfit to Marie.

"It looks perfect," she smiles. "Sorry I won't be much longer just have to touch up my hair."I check the mirror myself. My blond-brown locks have fallen out a little from their curls to form waves, they look good in my opinion so I grab my lipstick and blush and do some finishing touches. 

"You're a science major right?" Marie asks.

"Yep. I get to take Chemistry in my first college semester how fun!" I exclaim. Fun is a bit of an understatement. Chemistry is notorious for ending GPAs and ruining futures, and would no doubt be the most challenging part of my first semester.

"And you're education?" I say with uncertainty. Of all the things I should know about my roommate I think I should know her major.

"Correct. No science courses for me!" she says sticking her tongue out. I make a pouty face, but the truth is I like science. Yes, it is challenging at times but I also found it incredibly interesting. There is always something new to discover, and everything was logical-exactly how I liked it.

"Ok I think I'm ready," Marie says standing up. "How do I look?" She asks doing a little twirl.

"Cute and casual," I say with a laugh. I grab my sandals and buckle them up.

"What do you say we hit up this party!" Marie exclaims.

"I'm ready!" I say with excitement. My first college event. "Ok let's hit the road!" Marie says and I follow her out our dorm door.


	2. Chapter 2

"Welcome students, I am happy to invite you all back to campus. Before we start our year I would like to remind you of a few things..." The president adjusts his round glasses,  framing his face like a man from the 1800s.

"This year get involved. Learn something new,  make new friends,  join a club. Make your college experience a great one and do not let a moment go to waste. Challenge yourself to expand your mind and become a more encompassed human being. Myself and the rest of the university faculty are excited to see what the new year will bring us. We cannot wait to see what our new class of freshman will add to the community and how are returning students will grow...." Marie lets out a yawn beside me. I giggle. This isn't exactly the most exciting start to my college experience.

"And with that I leave you to the festivities. Get to know your fellow classmates and what is happening on our beautiful campus. Good luck with your year and study hard!" he exclaims, emphasizing the words that brought excitement to only a small number of people that had gathered. I doubt any of them were students. The crowd lets out a weak applause and then quickly disperses.

"Want some food?" Marie asks pointing to a huge assortment of snacks lying on a long table a few feet away.

"Sounds good," I say and we walk towards the table.

"Oooh there he is!" Marie exclaims abruptly, pointing towards a crowd of people. I see nothing extraordinary. Just a bunch of college students.

"There who is?" I ask, scanning the group. Am I missing something important? We literally stopped in the middle of the crowd and people are rushing past on both sides of us trying to get around.

"Liam," she says in a whisper. Ohh. The hot guy her sister is dating. I follow her finger but still am unsure who she is pointing to.

"Black T-shirt," she says. I spot him. He is attractive. Muscular with dark brown hair and just enough facial hair to look sexy. But my eyes are immediately drawn to the guy next to him. His brown hair pushed back in a quiff with tan skin. I couldn't make out much of his face but I had a feeling he was hot.

"Who's that next to him?" I ask softly. Marie scans the crowd for a moment then turns back to face me again.

"That is Louis Tomlinson," she says matter-of-factly. "Probably the most well-known guy on campus. He's only a sophomore but he has a reputation that would put some seniors to shame. He's quite full of himself if you ask me, walking around with that accent and his perfectly tanned skin. "

"Accent?" I ask. I have a thing for guys with accents. But what girl doesn't?

"He's from England, I think. " I give an understanding nod.

"And that is his girlfriend," she points to a blonde standing next to him. "Erica Marlow. She's a cheerleader, junior and one of my sister's best friends. Very fake, very ditzy. "

"I take it you don't care for her," I say with a smile. She didn't seem like the type of person I would care for either.

"Not at all....crap! Stop looking Liam looked over here. Towards the table," Marie says with a laugh as we try to avoid being seen. We are horrible spies. I would never be able to work for the FBI.

"Why does it matter if he catches us looking. He's your sister's boyfriend right?" I ask, not that I wouldn't have been embarrassed myself had we been caught.

"Sophia was very clear that we would not be associating much in college. She would kill me if I started talking to her at an event like this."

"Oh so she's one of those sisters..." I say with a dramatic roll of my tongue.

"Unfortunately," Marie rolls her eyes. Within a millisecond her face has already converted back into a smile. "That looks delicious," she says pointing to an enormous cookie. Chocolate Chip,  my favorite, I take one as well.

"Eat up. That's the best food you'll be having for the next 4 months," an unfamiliar voice says from behind me. I turn to face the crystal blue eyes of a boy. His blond hair is pushed back with sweat and a soccer ball is tucked under the crook of his arm. He is cute,  there's no denying that. Marie lets out a nervous laugh beside me. I smile a little not sure of what to say.

"Niall Horan," He grabs three cookies.

"Alexia Hollaway and this is Marie Dawson," my voice squeaks. Why can't I just sound normal when I talked to guys?

"Dawson.....Wait are you Sophia's sister?" Niall asks.

"Yep. That's me," Marie says in a not so thrilled voice. Wow, her sister must be a celebrity around here.

"You guys are freshman right?" he asks with a cute little crooked smile.

"It's that obvious?" I ask, a little embarrassed that my status could be picked out so easily.

"You only took one cookie,  a true college student would know to indulge while you can," Niall says seriously. I let out a genuine laugh, this guy is pretty funny.

"Is the food really that bad?" I laugh.

"Ummm, no comment," Niall says. Marie reaches down and grabs another cookie. "Marie has caught on well," he says. Marie gives him an awkward smile.

"You're a....?" I realize  I haven't figured out Niall's age. I mean he knows Sophia and he knows the food is bad.....

"Sophomore. I'm a sophomore. I'm majoring in athletic training. What about you?" he asks us.

"Education," Marie says. Niall nods with a polite smile. I could see Marie as a teacher, she is polite and even though I had only known her for a few hours,  I could tell she had a kind soul.

"Pre-med  and Biology," I say. Niall's blue eyes grow wide. Great. I shouldn't have said that. Now he will think I'm a complete nerd.

"Wow you have it all," he says.

"What?" I reply confused about what he has just said. That isn't how people typically responded to a person's college major.

"You have it all. Beauty and brains." Is he flirting with me? My cheeks start to flush. I'm not entirely sure what to do in this situation. I don't have cute guys flirt with me. Thankfully, I don't have a chance to reply....

"Niall, break times over. Get your arse over here with that ball!" a loud accented voice interrupts, making me nearly jump. I turn to see the brown haired boy, Louis, standing impatiently a few yards away. I glance over but immediately look away when I meet his eyes. Marie was right. He did act like he owned the place.

"Coming!" Niall yells back. He looks me back in the eyes. "Sorry I have to go. It was nice to meet you guys. See ya around!" And with that he ran off towards the awaiting soccer players.

"Well that was awkward," Marie says with a laugh as we make our way further down the buffet line.

"Ya it was. He seemed nice," I shrug. I had a feeling Marie was talking about the awkwardness for her and not for me but I thought it was awkward too. The second person I meet in college being an incredibly attractive guy? What is happening?

"Nice? He was practically begging for your number," Marie laughs, pouring some red liquid I could only assume to be punch in a white Styrofoam cup.

"No he wasn't," I protest, still refusing to admit the fact that a guy might have actually flirted with me. Marie looks at me eyebrows raised.

"Okay he was definitely flirting," I say with a laugh. I take a sip from my cup. "So what do you know about him?"

"Unfortunately not much. He plays soccer, that's all I know," she shrugs. Very helpful.

"My college guide is failing me."

"Hey I lead you to the food right?" Marie points to the long red covered table we have now been standing next to for over twenty-minutes. People are going to think we are pigs.

"Point taken," I say crossing my arms. "Now let's leave this joint before I feel the urge to grab another one of those cookies." Marie laughs and we head over towards an area where booths are set up. I take the time to examine my surroundings. Students cover every corner of the campus. How were we supposed to meet our classmates when there were so many people?

A bulletin board catches my eye. "Marie look! It's a dance club!" I exclaim. I have been a ballerina for most of my life and hated the idea of not being able to dance.

"You're a dancer?" Marie asks. "That's cool." We head towards the booth. There are flyers with meeting times and general information as well as who to contact if you are interested. I reach to grab a paper but meet another hand.

"Oops sorry," a tall girl with mahogany hair says. "You're interested in the dance club too?" She asks. I grab a paper and so does she this time with no collisions.

"Ya. I'm Alexia," I say with a friendly smile. Wow, I was getting pretty good at talking to random people.

"Sierra," she says with a confidence I couldn't explain. "Do you dance too?" she asks gesturing towards Marie.

"Oh no. We are roommates," Marie responds. Sierra shrugs.

"Well I guess I'll see you around Alexia," she waves and in a flash she is gone.

"Another new friend for you I see," Marie laughs. "Should we head over to the street painting? There's a freshman section there so we are guaranteed to meet someone."

"I'm no artist but sure!" I say. My college mind had to be open to new experiences and this was definitely one. We have to push through a crowd as we make our way there. Marie turns to say something to me and practically topples over someone. I start cracking up at her clumsiness.

"I apologize, I need to watch where I am going," she stutters looking over to the person who had served as an obstacle.

"Marie?" a voice asks. I look to see Liam. Marie's face practically turns red.

"I'm sorry Liam," she says. I know she is scanning the crowd for her sister.

"You're fine. Who's this?" He asks pointing at me. His biceps themselves are enough to make a girl weak in the knees.

"Alexia, she's my roommate," Marie says.

"Hi," Liam turns back to Marie. "Have you seen your sister?" he asks. Marie shakes her head.

"I can't find her anywhere," he mutters.

"Sorry?" Marie says more as a question then a statement.

"She's always up to something. Well, see you later," Liam says walking off.

"Why is he so hot?" Marie asks when he is out of earshot. Her bluntness shocks me.

"Have a little crush huh?" I ask.

"No. I just..... I think there's more to him than it seems." He seemed a little controlling if you ask me but I'm not about to tell Marie that.

"C'mon let's go meet some more freshman!" She says grabbing my arm and dragging me towards the street painting.

***Louis***

"A start of another school year," I groan to Liam. Trying to make small talk is hard, he intimidates me to be honest and he reminds me so much of...never mind. Why Erica had to be best friends with Liam's girlfriend is beyond me.

 "You have quite a reputation to live up to," he says with a laugh.

I hadn't had the most productive freshman year. I had partied a little too much, studied a little too little. But I had come out alright. The only class I hadn't managed to push through was Chemistry. Which partly due to the fact that I hadn't wasted my time attending it half the time. If it wasn't for the Styles' stupid obsession with science I wouldn't even need to take it. I guess I can't complain too much. They are funding my education.

"I guess," I shrug. I look to see Erica and Sophia walking towards us, finally.

"This is soo boring!" Erica whines in that squealing voice of hers. It was enough to drive anyone nuts but hey there was always a drawback to being with a beautiful girl. Erica leans her head onto my shoulder. We are at a social event. I don't want her all over me right now.

"Have you seen Marie yet?" I hear Liam ask Sophia. Erica's ears perk up at the sound of the newest gossip brewing.

"Nope and I don't plan to. You do not want her hanging around us," she must sense Erica's confused look because she adds "my sister." To the end of her sentence. Another Sophia running around? That could get interesting.

Erica's phone begins to ring. "Ya I'll be right over," she says in a less than enthusiastic voice. "Some idiot freshman has questions about cheerleading. I'll catch you later?" She motions to Sophia.

"Be okay without me babe?" she says sticking her nose in my face.

"Yep," I reply unenthusiastically. She leans in for a kiss that is a little too fierce for a goodbye.

"See ya," she says walking off phone in hand.

"I guess I'll see you guys around?" I say to Liam and Sophia after I am left in the awkwardness.

"Goodbye Tomlinson," Liam says in a gruff voice and I know that it my cue that leaving would be the best thing to do. I spot the boys playing soccer in the space just past all the snacks. I decide to head over. Might as well see what kind of shape my team was in after the long summer.

"Hi Louis!" some girls squeal as I walk past them. I give a nod of acknowledgement.

"Louis, bro, how's it going?" a guy gives me a fist bump. I had grown used to the popularity. Everyone knew who I was or they thought they did. It was nice to be so well liked.

When I reach the boys I find them standing around. "What are you doing lads?" I ask. They are tired already? This is going to be a long season.

 "Horan has the ball," someone says.

"Well where is he?" I ask. I couldn't play soccer without a ball.

"Getting a refreshment or a girl from the looks of it," someone else mutters. Oh Niall always on the move. I look over to see the signature blond head of my teammate chatting it up with a long haired girl. Even from this distance I can tell she is pretty, but I doubt she is Niall's type.

"Niall, break times over!" I yell. "Get your arse over here with that ball!" I stand waiting. Niall turns to face me and so does the girl he's talking to. My eyes meet hers before she quickly turns away.

"Coming!" I hear Niall shout back and soon he is making his way down the field to join us.

"The first day back to school and you've already got a girl? I forgot how much of a ladies man you were Horan," I chuckle.

"We were just chatting. I didn't get her number or anything," Niall says and I can tell the disappointment on his face.

"Who was she?" I ask curious about this mystery girl my teammate had been so eager to go after.

"Alexia. She's a freshman," he says. I raise an eyebrow.

"Going for the innocent ones now are we Horan," I tease.

"Shut up," he says and grabs the ball and begins to kick.


	3. Chapter 3

Today was a new day. A new start. Maybe I would be more talkative, less self-conscious of what others thought of me. Maybe I wouldn't be classified as the quiet one. I had a blank slate. A new page to begin my story. The story of Alexis Hollaway the college freshman, confident, talkative, but still smart. I look at my bold green eyes in the mirror again, letting off my most flirtatious smile. That's it. That's what I need. That will get me a boyfriend who-

"What on earth are you doing Alexia?" Marie interrupts my self-declared pep talk. I feel my cheeks turn hot. I was caught red handed.

"I'm practicing my smile." I say with a laugh in a voice that could barely convince myself.

"Your smile is fine. That is creepy." She says and we both laugh. "Are you ready for class?" She asks. We had decided to walk to class together, since our first classes were in buildings nearly stacked on top of each other.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I say grabbing my backpackers and slinging it over my shoulder. "Why does Chemistry have to be first?" I curse myself for putting my most difficult class first thing in the morning.

"A little nervous?" Marie laughs as we exit our dorm room.

"I just hear it's so hard." I exclaim.

"At least you don't have Elementary Algebra. I hear that's a real killer." Marie says with a grin.

"I'm sure." I say with a roll of my eyes.

We make our way onto the sidewalks of campus, filled with students running in every direction. I suppose everyone figured they had to go to their first class of the semester, if only for a day. I spot someone with a frappucino in hand and am instantly jealous. I should have gotten some coffee in my system to hyper me up. Or maybe not, I did have a class to sit through.

The morning breeze flows softly through the trees and the sun warms my skin. It was really a beautiful day outside and I could only hope my first day at college could go as well.

"Calvert Hall on our left and Peterson Science Building on our right. How convienent." Marie says as we reach the fork in the road.

"Perfect." I say staring at the large brick building that will hold my first college science course.

"Well good luck!" Marie says.

"You too." I smile and we part ways. I make my way up the concrete steps and take a deep breath. Opening the door I am surrounded by a bussle of people moving in every direction. I only hope I can find my class. I begin to search for numbers on the wall. 134. 138. I need 157. I keep walking pushing my way through the crowds. 124. Great now I was going the wrong way. I let out an irritated groan.

"Need help finding your room?" I hear a familiar voice. I turn around to see the familiar face of Niall smiling at me. I start to get nervous.

"Um ya that would be great!" I say with a smile. He was really going to think I was an idiot. Niall looks at me for a moment, like he is waiting for me to say something. What else was I supposed to say?

"What room?" He finally asks after what feels like a minute of awkward silence. Oh. I hadn't told him what room I was trying to find.

"157." I say. Niall begins walking back the way I came.

"Chemistry huh?" He asks. We take a sharp turn down a corridor I hadn't seen earlier. So that's what went wrong.

"Um yeah." I say not sure what else was to do.

"A friend of mine from soccer, he took Chemistry last year, said it was the worst thing ever. I think he even has to retake it."

"Oh." I say. That was not a good sign. But that was a soccer player. They probably didn't put much effort into anything. "That's not good." I say with a smile.

"No. But I'm sure you'll be fine. Just hope you get a decent lab partner." Niall says and them stops abruptly. "Here it is, the evasive room 157." He gestures his hand welcoming me into the room.

"Thanks." I say with a polite smile.

"see you around Alexia" He says and leaves me at the door.

The room is large with five rows of tables spanning the length of the room. A whiteboard is centered in the front with a desk and projector alongside it. I see the teacher sitting on her computer. A woman, who looked to be in her mid-forties. Most of the seats were empty but then again it was 15 minutes early. I look for a seat towards the middle of the room. There is a boy with dark brown almost black hair leaning over a book in the middle. I figure now is as good a time as any to make a new friend. I walk over to the desk and flop myself down.

The boy looks up at me. Thick framed glasses frame his dark brown eyes and a large smile frames his face. He is attractive, even hidden by what appears to be needy glasses. "Hi." He says.

"Mind if I sit here?" I ask hoping he doesn't think I am intruding on his space.

"Not at all." He smiles again. "I'm Zayn."

"Alexia. Are you a freshman?" I ask. I give myself a pat on the back in my mind for making conversation with a stranger.

"Yep. First class of my college career. How about you?"

"Same. I'm nervous about this class to be honest. Well actually I'm nervous about the labs. You know I hear that if you don't get a good partner...."

"You're screwed." Zayn finishes my sentence.

"Exactly." I say with a smile. I liked Zayn already. I look up to see that the majority of the seats have now been filled and the professor is standing awkwardly in front of the class as if she wants to begin.

"I believe we will begin now." She says loudly and the class instantly silences. I turn my attention to the professor who holds a clipboard and pen in her hand. "My name is Professor Smithson, I would like to welcome you all to Chemistry. Today will be a shortened class as I will discuss the Syllabus with you all." The class instantly perks up at the words short and class. "I will now take attendance." She says glancing down at her clipboard. She begins to read off names. I gaze off listening for my own name but not focusing in at the names of those around me.

"Alexia Hollaway." I raise my hand. She nods then goes back to the clipboard. She continues to read names off, in a quite monotone voice I might add.

"Zayn Malik."

"Here." Zayn says from beside me. I let out a yawn. Attendance was literally the worst. I looking out the window gazing at the sunlight and the reflection it cast on the silver faucets. What I would give not to be in this dark room smelling of chemicals right now. I look up to see Professor Smithson making a grimace as she reads off the next name.

"Louis Tomlinson." She glances around the room. I hear Zayn groan. "Mr. Tomlinson." She reads off again. When there is still no response she simply makes a mark and moves on down the list. I give Zayn a questioning look.

He kneels over to whisper in my ear. "Louis failed this class last year. As long as you don't get him as your lab partner you should be fine."

"Thanks." I mouth. Professor Smithson opens her mouth to read off another name when we hear a loud commotion. Everyones attention turns suddenly to the door.

"Sorry Professor Smithson, alarm didn't go off." A accented voice says and I see the sparkling blue eyes of Louis Tomlinson, the schools most popular guy.

Professor Smithson stamps her foot. "Your seat Mr. Tomlinson." I watch as he makes his way towards the back of the room.

"Its a pleasure to see you again too." He smiles and Professor Smithson simply goes back to reading her list. When she finishes she places the clipboard on the table behind her.

"Now that we are all here, I have a few important things to discuss." She begins. "First, this class is divided into two sections: classroom and lab. As you all know today is the classroom portion, this is where we will learn topics and test over them. The lab will be where we apply these concepts." Just as I had expected.

"This year, however, our lab work will be a little different." Zayn and I exchange glances. "Mr. Tomlinson, although you may feel you know it all, this lab information is new and therefore I believe you time would be better spent listening instead of chatting." She says. I turn around to see Louis Tomlinson chatting away to his friend. I hated disruptive people like that.

"We will begin our lab work with normal experiments but then you will be given a free lab project. You and your lab partner will perform some sort of research experiment. This will be graded on time spent in the lab, creativity, presentation, mastery of the material and what I would like to call a mystery category.This will take the place of your final." She says with a smirk. What was with teachers always wanting to trick their students?

Zayn raises his hand. "How will these partners be chosen?" Everyone nods in agreement. We had all been thinking the same thing.

"Good question Mr. Malik." She says. She reaches a hand behind her to lean on the podium. "This is not high school and therefore you will not be choosing your partners." Everyone lets out a groan. "In the real world, you will be forced to work with people you don't like or don't get along with. I will however pair you up with someone who I believe has similar ability. This project will be a test of how well you can get along with others and work through differences." Well, at least she said someone of similar ability. That I could handle. Although how she knew our ability was still a big question for me.

"That is all for today. Tommorow is our first lab section, I will have partners determined there." She says. The class eagerly jumps out of their seats and heads out the door. I gather my belongings stuffing everything in my backpack.

"I guess I'll see you tommorow then." Zayn smiles.

"Yep!" I smile. He heads out the table in front of me. What kind of project could I do? Should I do something that interests me? Or something simple? Or maybe something that interests the professor. The possibilities were endless. I wonder-

I collide with someones shoulder sending me back into the table. I look to see the brown hair and blue eyes of Louis Tomlinson. A stupid grin appears on his face. "Better watch where your going." He says walking away. How rude! I readjust my bag and walk out the classroom door crossing my fingers that I would not be partnered up with Louis Tomlinson.

Louis POV

The first day of college had not turned out well. I probably had stayed out a little too late last night, causing me to sleep through my alarm this morning. Of course I would be late to the one class I needed a good grade in. Luck was just not on my side. And then Professor Smithson had said we would be working on a project with our lab partners. At first it sounded like the easy way out, but if she was matching us with people of similar ability, I was probably screwed. Sounds like Chemistry would once again be my nightmare.

I wanted to succeed, don't get me wrong, but for once in my life I was the cool kid. The guy every girl wanted to talk to them and every guy wanted to be. I had achieved the ultimate college celebrity status. But this feeling of being wanted came with a price. Lack of sleep, party attendance and slipping grades. You couldn't be the it guy if you were constantly studying. But that was exactly what I had to do. Because if I didn't pass Chemistry my whole future was in jeopardy.

I was leaving the classroom chatting to my buddy Brad, when someone walks straight into me. "Better watch where you're going." I smirk, looking at the girl who had been clumsy enough to trip over me. The girl doesn't say anything just stares at me like I'm some kind of repulsive trash. She was pretty with long hair that was a blend of Blonde and light brown. But I could tell she was stuck up. The way she walked showed it all. She had been the one who had turned around so abruptly when Professor Smithson had told me to stop talking. The annoyed look didn't suit her.

I catch her eyes but she quickly turns away. I had seen her before....

"You going to Niall's tonight to watch the game tonight?" Brad asks.

Niall! That was it. She was the girl Niall had been chatting up the other day. She was most definitely not his type, but then again was Erica really mine? Of course she was. She was the top girl and I was the top guy. We were supposed to be together. I needed to stop overthinking everything.

"Ya, ya of course." I say. I hope Brad hadn't noticed how deep in thought I had been in.

"Well I got to go." He says as we exit the building. I give him a wave and stare off into the sky. This was going to be one long year. I sigh.

"You can't be tired already Tommo. It's the first day of the semester." I hear the familiar deep voice of my best friend from behind me. I turn to meet the green eyes and curly brown mop of hair of my best friend.

"Harry."

"Hey Tommo How was that first class of yours?" He chuckles.

"Horrid. I hate chemistry." I say. Harry smiles, he was a chemistry major.

"Sorry you have to take it. It's just my dads thing you know, and I know it's stupid but...."

"It's okay Harry. I understand. It's in the terms and conditions. I can get through it, I hope." I say. I didn't like Harry bringing up my situation in public. I had too much of a reputation to uphold.

Harry had been my best friend for as long as I remember. We had grown up in England together, hence the English accents. We had went through the ups and downs of life together. Harry had always been the one constant in my life. Even when thinks went haywire, Harry was there. He was the only one who really knew the true me. The guy that hid behind the wall of confidence. In the rare moments when that guy shone through, Harry was there.

Harry was successful in college. He had a perfect GPA. He was practically a genius, but what would you expect. His father was a surgeon, brains ran in the family. Harry wasn't a nerd though. He was popular and shared many of the same friends as me. Although he, unlike me, had managed to stay free of peer pressure and use his time more wisely. No time for college parties when you were the next great doctor.

"Are you ready for the first coffee of the new semester?" Harry asks. We had this stupid tradition, I don't even know if it could be called a tradition. We were only sophomores after all. Every semester we would prepare ourselves for the stress to come by getting a coffee, then we would sit outside the coffee shop and make jokes as people passed us. It was a relaxing way to start the semester.

"Of course." I say, and we begin walking towards the coffee shop, leaving Chemistry class out of my mind.


	4. Chapter 4

The anticipation of what is to come is fresh on my mind as I take a seat next to Zayn in Chemistry. My lab partner was going to make or break my grade, or maybe more appropriately the work I would have to do. Get a good partner and I might enjoy chemistry, I wouldn't have to stress about doing all the work and getting it perfect. If I got a Zayn as a partner it could be fun.

But the thing about school was, someone would always do more work. That someone was usually me. I cared about what my grades were. I mean I was raised that A's were expected. I was one of those people who would end up doing all the work not because I wanted to, but because I knew that it was the only way to know that it was done right. I was sure this class would be no exception.

"Ready for this?" Zayn asks as I take a seat opening up my notebook and grabbing a pencil from my bag.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I say with a sarcastic roll of my eyes. I need to stop being so pessimistic I mean the professor had said someone with similar abilities. Surely that would leave me with a decent partner. I decide to take my mind off of the worry and turn to make small talk with my new found friend Zayn.

"I never asked you what you were majoring in."

"Oh, um philosophy and literature." Zayn says with a grin. What? Definitely not what I was expecting to come out of his mouth.

"And you are in this class why?" I ask. I can't believe someone with those types of majors would pick to take the freshman nightmare course of chemistry.

"I like science," he shrugs. "I guess I just like the challenge, the only way to better yourself is by putting yourself into new and uncomfortable situations."

"Very philosophical," I laugh. I liked Zayn.

"Okay we will begin class now." Professor Smithson echoes at the front of the room. I turn my attention to the white paper dangling from her hand. The paper that would determine my fate for the rest of the semester.

"Before I tell you who your partner is, I want to remind you all that you are all adults. There will be no complaints or adjustments. After you have been paired up please go to the lab bench I have assigned you. I have a short activity that I would like you to complete to get to know each other and to help you schedule your project. Today will once again be a short day but starting on Tuesday, we will begin normal lab procedures." A few groans ricochet through the room. I guess you couldn't stop a room of college students from complaining.

"At Lab 1: Zayn Malik and Natalie Woodson," I look at Zayn for his reaction. The girl who stands up has short brown hair and glasses. She looks smart, not to judge a book by its cover. Zayn gives me a sympathetic smile.

"Good luck," he whispers before grabbing his stuff and moving toward the lab benches.

More and more names are called and I find myself glancing around the room. I don't know any of these students but everytime a name other than my own is called I look to see who remains. Soon there are only a handful of students remaining. I hope they are smart.

"Louis Tomlinson and Alexia Hollaway Lab 9." For a moment I nod and just smile. Then I realize what was just said. I was paired up with Louis Tomlinson, the one person who Zayn had said you didn't want to be with. I grab my stuff and begin walking toward the bench but a million thoughts race through my mind. How did I get stuck with the guy who failed this class last year. Surely I am not the dumbest student in here, I can't be.

I set my stuff on the bench and look down at the sheet in front of me. I hear footsteps and know that he is there. His books slam down on the bench and I hear the thud of his body landing on the stool beside me. I don't look up, he's probably furious he's partnered up with me. Actually, he is probably thrilled. I'll do all the work and he can fly through this class without a second thought.

 "Alexia, right?" he says and the sound of his British accent alone makes my heart flutter. I look up to meet the deepest blue eyes I have ever seen. They glimmer in the light, near perfect.

"That's me," I reply but my voice comes out softer than I had planned. Why couldn't I be confident around attractive guys.

"Louis. You really lucked out getting me as a lab partner you know," he says with a voice of cocky arrogance. "I mean I am no science genius but I definitely have the attractiveness competition under wraps," Louis smiles an arrogant, arrogant smile.

Why was arrogant the only word I could use to describe him? I mean I had talked to him for less than a minute and his attractiveness is vanishing by the second.

"Didn't you fail this class last year?" I blurt out. I hadn't really meant to ask but my mind was so flustered with thinking of clever comebacks it slipped out.

Louis gives me this kind of crooked smile, where the corner of his mouth turns sharply upwards and his eyes get this mischievous gleam. "What's it to you?" he challenges. Is he serious? Only my whole grade is on the line!! I'm starting to get annoyed now.

"Just trying to figure out how we have similar abilities," I say irritated.

Louis chuckles. Like an evil villian might I add. "So judgemental are we love." The word love sends shivers down my spine. The way it flowed from his tongue, with that accent, like it was a common thing to say to someone.

"Ok class now is the time to begin today's assignment. Once you have completed it you are free to go."  Professor Smithson snaps me back to earth. The sooner we get this assignment done the sooner I can get out of this stupid lab.

"Okay looks like we have to complete these questions." I say reading off the thin white paper that lies in front of me. Louis groans from beside me. I ignore it and begin to read the first question.

"As lab partners you will be spending a lot of time together solving problems and learning new things. Let's begin by learning a few things about your new lab partner," I pause and Louis gives me a roll of his eyes. "Number 1: What is your major?" I say.

"Soccer," Louis says.

"That isn't a major," I interject.

"To me it is. Undecided, put that if it makes you happy." I scribble it down on the paper. Then write Biology/Pre-Med next to it.

"So you're not gonna tell me yours, you just are gonna right it down?" he asks looking at the paper.

"Biology and Pre-Med," I respond dully.

"That's Harry's too," Louis says. I don't ask who Harry is. I just want to get this sheet done.  

"Number two: Why are you taking this class?" I pause then begin to write. "I am taking this class because it will help me get into graduate school."

"Oh you're one of those people," Louis says with that same mocking grin.

"One of what people?" I ask.

"That are obsessed with getting into graduate school. It's college live a little."

"And you're taking this class..." I ask wondering how on earth someone who thought graduate school wasn't important would be taking Chemistry class for the second time. Well I can see the second time part but not why he was taking it in the first place.

"Because I love Chemistry," he says with false cheeriness, "and Professor Smithson is my favorite..." I give him a questioning look. "Write it."

I reluctantly write down Louis's ridiculous answer. Praying it won't affect our grade for this assignment.

"Number 3: What do you hope to gain from this class?" I tap my pencil on my lip.

"A passing grade," Louis says. "But I already know that's what you will make sure we get." Why did he think that I was going to make sure he passed? It isn't my job to get him through a class he doesn't belong in in the first place.

"What, you don't plan on passing?" he asks obviously seeing the frustration in my eyes.

"No I'll be passing," I mutter.

"Then so will I," he lifts his chin up with pride once again demonstrating the arrogance he seemed to have an endless supply of. Must have something to do with being the big man on campus. But he was right. Whether I liked it or not Louis will pass the lab portion of the class by being my partner, simply because I will make sure my grade is up to my standards. And I am positive my standards far exceed Louis's.

"I hope to gain a good basis for my future science studies," I say, proudly recording my answer on our paper.

"How studious," Louis says sarcastically. I am unsure of how to respond, so I turn to read the next portion of the paper.

"Now that you know a little about your lab partner, you need to discuss your final project. Remember this project will make up the majority of your lab grade. Discuss times to research your project topic. This will be due September 15." I turn to face Louis who is looking down at his phone, typical.

"What?" he asks, jerking back into reality.

"Um, it says we need to find a time to discuss our project topic." I feel his blue eyes staring at me and look down, not wanting to seem too pushy.

"We really have to do this now?" he asks with an exasperated sigh.

"Well its due September 15," I shrug.

"We will do it sometime, love. It's only the second day of class, relax," he sets a hand on my shoulder, sending a chill through my body.

Awkwardness hangs in the air. I let my head dip to a nod.

"So are we done?" he asks, the blue in his eyes once again taking my breath away.

"Ya, sure," I say. No sooner do the words leave my mouth and Louis has grabbed his stuff and is headed to the door.

I close my notebook and stuff it back into my bag. I see Zayn is still discussing with his partner. They probably have the whole thing figured out already, like they were supposed to. I sigh and walk towards the door.

"Bye Professor Smithson," I hear Louis call out the door. I follow behind him, but not too closely, looking down at my phone.

He must sense me walking behind him because without turning his head, I hear that distinct British accent.  "See you later Alexia."

It's like he knew it would get to me, this was going to be a long semester.


	5. Chapter 5

**Louis POV**

GOAL!" I shout, as the ball hits the net, just out of reach of the goalie's hands.

"Tommo has  his game on today!" someone exclaims. I smile, I was the best soccer player on campus.

I run my hand through my hair, now lined with sweat. Grabbing a bottle from the grass, I take a swig.

Niall Horan slides in beside me. "How were your classes today Tommo?" he asks, in his usual perky voice.

"Oh you know the usual....” I think back on the rather day of classes, except...”hey what was the name of that girl you met the other day?” I realize I’ve seen Niall with Alexia before, and knowing him he probably has a crush on my annoying lab partner.

"umm.... oh Alexia, ya Alexia, she's hot isn't she." Niall says with his sideways smile. No matter what he said, I knew he wanted to be me. He was always searching for the prettiest girl and always trying to be the best player on the team. He was highly competitive even in the intramural soccer we were playing right now.

"She's pretty cute." I repeat back, seeing what kind of a rouse I can get from Niall. He gets this sort of offended look in his eyes, and I know that he already is viewing me as competition.

“Oh don’t give me that look Niall, she’s all yours.One day with her as my lab partner and I’ve already had enough.” I say with a groan. Thinking about the upcoming semester was enough to send me off the deep end, I didn’t need another studious Harry-like figure in my life.  

Niall’s smile grows a little wider. “Put in a good word for me?” Niall says, standing up and retrieving the ball from under the bench. I grab another swig of water before rising to join him.

“I don’t think she’s your type Nialler” I say with a laugh dribbling the ball Niall has now thrown at me with my knees. Although I’d never dated a girl like Alexia before, I had an idea of how they operated. Girls like her were stuck-up and prude, and would put their studies above all else. They couldn’t survive in the world of jocks and populars, they were far too unsocial.

“Pretty girls are always my type.” Niall says.

I roll my eyes. “Whatever you think.” I say and go out to play soccer.

\-------------

I plop down on the couch of my dorm room, Harry sitting on the chair across from me, a box of pizza between us.  “Did you get lab partners for Chemistry today?” Harry asks. I knew he would ask about that, he always brought it up. Science nerd.

“Ya, the female version of you.” I say with a laugh.

“So you are sure to pass then?” Harry says with a smirk.

“If I don’t kill her by the end of the semester or Niall Horan.” I say with a laugh, thinking of Niall’s strange obsession with my lab partner.

“What’s Niall got to do with it?” Harry asks, taking a bite out of his pizza.

“Oh he has a little crush, you know how he is with girls.” I say. Niall was one of those guys, a new girl every few weeks. He couldn’t help himself, he was a ladies man.  He was never in it for a serious relationship, but then again was I?

“Is she pretty?” Harry asks.

“Not you too Styles, although from what I know about her you guys would be a perfect match.” Harry rolls his eyes at my comment. “Yea, she’s beautiful, but totally stuck-up and way out of Niall’s league.”

“Beautiful, wow haven’t heard you use that word in a while... have you stopped seeing that blonde bimbo yet?” Harry asks. He had a strong disliking for Erica, and I didn’t blame him. She could be quite the idiot sometimes. But she was the most popular girl on campus, so that counted for something right?

“Erica, no I’m still with her.” I say with a sigh. I sometimes questioned my relationship with her in the first place. She was someone to keep me from being lonely, but our relationship wasn’t much deeper than physical attraction. I would be lying if I said that sometimes I wished I had something more, but for the time being, Erica was the best option I had.

“You seem unhappy about that.” Harry says, knowing that any long pause meant I was thinking.

“I don’t think there is ever a perfect relationship. I should just be grateful for what I have.” I say with a roll of my eyes. I really wasn’t in the mood for Harry to play my counselor for the evening.

“You should be grateful for a smart lab partner.” Harry says with a laugh.

“Smart and stubborn isn’t going to help me any.” I say. I knew Alexia was going to make Chemistry anything but easy for me. In the end, I knew I would end up with a good grade, but I had a feeling she would use everything she had to get me to contribute.

“You could try for a change, go back to the old Louis.....” Harry says gently.

“Not a chance.” I say sternly. “That Louis is gone.” I say the words with a sternness, even I didn’t know I was capable of. But the truth was there was a part of me deep inside that was trying to crawl back to the surface. But I wasn’t going to let it, most definitely not to please my annoying lab partner.  

“Well I should go, I actually have some homework to do.” Harry says standing up and grabbing the backpack he had slung across the floor. He walks to the door but stops abruptly and looks me in the eyes. “You should know my dad’s very concerned about Chemistry. You should be careful, I don’t know how much more slack he is going to be willing to give.” his voice is serious and I know he isn’t joking.

“Thanks Harry.” I say, he gives me a nod and walks out the door.

** Alexia POV **

“Shoot me now!” I say flopping down on my bed. Marie looks at me from the book she has been reading. She lets out a small laugh.

“What is it?” She says kindly. “Already disliking the college life?”

I roll my eyes. “More like already hating my Chemistry class! We got our lab partners today.”

“I take it you didn’t get the best lab partner” Marie raises her eyebrows.

I throw my hands over my face. “More like the absolute worst.”

“They can’t be that bad, I mean maybe they aren’t the class nerd, but....”

“Louis Tomlinson” I say, the words tasting just as foul in mouth as they did in my mind.  My grade was going to be a wreck.

Marie just stares at me, and I’m sure her jaw has just dropped.  “You’re joking.” She says.

“I wish I was.” I sigh. I hardly knew Louis, but from the few moments I had spent with him, I knew he didn’t want to be in class and didn’t care who knew that.  Which definitely wasn’t ideal when it came to working on a group project worth nearly half your grade.

“Didn’t he fail last year?” Marie asks. Funny how we had only been in college one day and we already knew the latest gossip. I flip over laying on top of my pillow to face her.  

“Yes. And the worst part is, the professor said she grouped us with people of similar ability. How do I have similar ability with some dumb-ass soccer player?” I let out a frustrated groan. The perfectionist inside me can’t let it go, I have always been such a good student and I was insulted to be given what Zayn had called the worst lab partner possible.  

“Maybe she thought you could handle it?” Marie suggests. The thought had crossed my mind, I mean it was the only rational explanation to why me, valedictorian of my class, had been paired with the only sophomore in our chemistry class.

Marie registers my quietness and adds, “But at least he isn’t bad to look at.” A grin crosses my face, this was true. I think about the crystal clear blue in his eyes and the way the word love slipped from his tongue, sending shivers down my spine- wait, he was the most arrogant guy I had ever met, how could I even find him the least bit attractive? I internally scold myself for even thinking like that.  

“True.” I agree. “But he’s a total jerk, he deserves that blonde idiot he has.” We both laugh. It was amazing how close I felt with Marie, we had only met a few days ago, but it felt like I had known her for all my life.  

“Should we get something to eat, I am absolutely starving!” I hear Marie’s stomach growl no sooner than the words leave her mouth.

“Please.” I laugh. I grab my student idea and head towards the door.  We make our way out of our dorm, which already has become loud and decorated even though students have only been here for a few days.  Everyone was making it their home away from home. Within minutes Marie and I make our way to the cafeteria.  

As usually its crowded and the line to get food seems long.  Marie just shrugs and gets in the back of the long.  We wait to get our cards scanned, and then make our way into the world of college cafeteria food, many options but many unappetizing.  I give Marie the look.  “I think I’m just gonna grab a slice of pizza.” No other options seemed appetizing to me.

“Okay” Marie smiles. “I’ll meet you by the drinks?”  I nod and make my way off towards the pizza section.

“Alexia” I turn around to be met by the face of Niall, once again.  He was attractive, and I couldn’t help but feel a little excited by the fact that he would want to talk to me, a lowly freshman.  I smile.

“So how’s the college life treating you?” He says, sliding into line behind me.  Where did he even come from?

“Its okay” I say with a laugh.  

“Told you the food wasn’t very good” He says, “but pizza is always a good solution.”

I grab a slice of pepperoni and see Niall grabs four.  Guys and there food.  “Well Alexia, if you ever need anything, I’m your guy.  Enjoy the pizza.” he says and walks away.  I spot Marie filling up her glass with milk and join her.

“What was up with that?” she says with a laugh.

“With what?” I say watching Niall walk over to a table where who other than Louis Tomlinson was sitting.  

“Niall Horan was talking to you, AGAIN.  Is there something going on between you to that I don’t know about?”

“No, he is just being nice.” I say and begin to scan the cafeteria for a seat.

“Whatever you say, but people that are just being nice usually don’t stare at girls as they walk across the cafeteria.”

“What?” I say.  I spot Zayn at a table by himself and head his way.  

“I said Niall was just checking you out.” Marie laughs. I ignore her obnoxious comment.

“Hi Zayn, mind if we sit here.” Zayn looks up from the book he is reading.

“Oh yeah, sure.” He says with a smiling moving his books from the table to the floor.  

“Zayn, this is Marie, my roommate.” Marie gives a small wave. “And Marie, this is Zayn, he is in my chemistry class.”

“Nice to meet you!” They both say almost simultaneously.  We laugh and take a seat at the table.

“So how’s college?” I ask Zayn with a smile, picking up my pizza with my hand.  

“It’s interesting. A new adventure with many characters. But I just try to enjoy the roller coaster that is life.” He says with a smile.

Marie looks at him, mouth slightly ajar.  “That was deep.”

“Zayn’s a philosophy major.” I inform her.

“I see that” Marie says.

“So how do you think Chemistry is going to go Alexia?” Zayn asks. I give him a sarcastic look.

“Not well, I still don’t understand how I got Louis Tomlinson of all people as a lab partner.  I mean does the teacher have it out for me already or what?” I rant, my irritation returning to me once again.

“Maybe she thought you could handle the challenge?” Zayn says.  “I mean she obviously thinks highly enough of you're abilities to partner you up with someone that obviously lacks in motivation if not intelligence.”

I smile.  Zayn was good with his words.  “Well, when you put it that way..”

“I’m just saying think of it as an opportunity and learning experience. You can’t change it now, so just enjoy what you can.”

“Like Marie right now?” Marie is staring intently across the room at Liam Payne.

“What?” She says, finally snapping back to reality. “Sorry, I just spaced out.” She blushes with embarrassment, being caught in the act.

“Sure you did” I laugh. I look to Liam, tattoos visible on his forearm. And here sweet, innocent Marie was infatuated with this kind of bad boy.  I wasn’t one to judge him, but I didn’t quite see what she saw in him.

“Liam Payne, huh, not sure that’s the crowd you want to get involved with.” Zayn remarks.

Marie just gives him a dirty look.  “You’re a philosopher, you should understand, there is a lot more to people then you see.”

“But is that always true?" Zayn say his voice making you want to question everything thing you have ever thought about a person like Liam Paye. "Look at Louis Tomlinson, a cocky arrogant athlete, don’t tell me you believe he likes to knit in his spare time.” Zayn counters.

I laugh, “I agree with Zayn, there are just some people that are no good, you have to be careful.”

Marie shrugs.  “Its not like I’m gonna date my sister’s boyfriend, but a girl’s allowed to look right?”

I roll my eyes at my roommates optimistic attitude. “Well, I have some homework to do, catch you later?” Zayn says.

“Yep see ya” Marie and I say in unison as Zayn leaves the table. I let out a yawn.

“Want to head back to the room?” Marie asks.  I nod, exhaustion suddenly overtaking me.  We head towards the cafeteria exit, manuevering through the crowds of people.  We are about fifty feet outside the doors when I hear someone call my name. I turn around to see Niall running after me.  

“Alexia!” He says with a burst of excitement.

“Hi.” I say, slightly confused as to why Niall needed to chase after me in the cafeteria.  

“So, I just wanted to give you this, you know in case you can’t find you're chem class again or something” he seems almost nervous handing me a small slip of paper which I soon realize is his number.

“Thanks” I awkwardly say. Marie clears her throat.  

“Well, you probably need to go, see you around!” Niall says and walks away.

“Did you just get a guys number?” She asks with a smirk.  

“I think I did...what a strange night” I smile and we head back to our dorm room.


	6. Chapter 6

**Alexia POV**   
  


I roll down my tights to cover my toes, slipping on my ballet shoes for what feels like the first time in weeks. Bending over to touch my toes, I feel the slight burning of a stretch in my hamstrings, a sensation I never thought I would miss.  
  


I stand up throwing my iPod onto the dock next me and picking a playlist I think is suitable. I walk over to place my hand on the wooden bar staring at my body alignment in the mirror. It had been too long since I had felt the focus of ballet, the feeling of complete control over every aspect of my body. As the music begins to play, I begin to dance; relieving the stresses of the past few days from my mind. I wasn't thinking about college, or Chemistry, or whether I should text Niall Horan, I was only focused on holding my center and matching the music.   
  


I soon develop a cool sweat and move to the center for turns and leaps, I don't even realize someone else has come in until I about smash them after landing a leap. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry" I stutter, slightly out of breath from all my dancing.   
  


The blonde girl looks at me, seeming very familiar. "It's okay, I was definitely the one in the way." She stares at me for a moment, as if trying to put some pieces together. "Okay we have definitely met before..."  
  


"I'm Alexia" I say with a smile.  
  


"Sierra- Oh I know I met you at the dance booth, fitting that we meet again here. Mind if I join in?"  
  


"Go ahead. I'm about finished anyways, not taking as many classes a week has definitely made its impact on me." I grab my water and take a long drink. The water runs down my throat, cooling my body as it travels downwards. I head back to the center and cool down a bit, already feeling the soreness setting into my muscles. My mind, however, has a new clarity and calmness to it. What could I say, dance was definitley my stress reliever.   
  


"It was nice to meet you Sierra, I will see you at class I am sure." I give her a wave as I exit the studio. The heat from outside immediately hits my body as I step out the doors, only adding to the already sticky feeling on my skin. I walk, mind clear and relieved, not thinking about the fact that I would have Chemistry class tomorrow and have to spend a few hours next to Louis Tomlinson.   
  


I'm so calm that when I walk past Louis, at first I hardly give him a second glance. But then he he looks at me like I'm yesterday's trash. He doesn't acknowledge me or anything, he just walks right on by, because who would want to be associated with a stupid old freshman like me. Then I start to get annoyed again. I don't understand why am I so annoyed with a stupid jerk who happens to be my lab partner.  
  


Marie senses my anger as I walk into the room, throwing my bag down on the bed. "I take it you aren't feeling any better?"   
  


"Oh, I was. I was feeling so relieved, so de-stressed, but then I had to walk past Louis Tomlinson of all people." I say with frustration.  
  


"And what did he say to you?" Marie asks.  
  


"Nothing. He said absolutely nothing, he just ignored me. Like how on earth am I ever going to be able to get a project done with him when he won't even acknowledge my presence in passing? This is too much Marie." I lay down on my bed covering my head with my hands.   
  


"Alexia," Marie begins, her voice turning slightly stern. "You are overthinking this whole chemistry thing. We have been at college less than a week and you already are paranoid about passing this class, don't you realize that you have a whole semester to get things with Louis panned out? Don't let that douchebag get to you, that's all he wants is to make life miserable for you. You need to get out and stop dwelling on that class!"  
  


I look at Marie. She was right, but this is what I do. I let my mind focus on one bad aspect of my life and let it eat me up alive until it has consumed me. I overthink everything until its more complicated than it ever was to start with. The perfectionist inside of me refuses to let even the smallest of things stray from the best.   
  


"And you are still thinking about it" Marie laughs. "Give me your phone" She sticks her hand out.  
  


"What?"  
  


"I said give me your phone Alexia, you need to get your mind out of this Chemistry class" Marie says sternly. I unobligingly give her my cell phone.   
  


"What are you doing?" I ask, looking at the grin Marie has plastered on her face. She just smiles.  
  


"Ok you can have it back now" She smiles and hands it back to me.   
  


"What did you do?" I ask giving her an eyebrow raise.  
  


"You'll see" Marie smirks. I set my phone down and lay on the bed again, exhausted from the stress of the day. A few minutes later the ting of a text message echoes from my phone. I look down at the illumination of the screen, indicating that I had a new text message from none other than Niall Horan.   
  


"Marie." I say with a groan. My roommate just gives me a satisfied smile. I stare at her until she notices.  
  


"What?" She asks innocently.  
  


"Why did you do that?" I ask, trying to think of a way to reply to Niall's enthusiastic text asking how I am.   
  


"I think the real question Alexia, is why haven't you done that yet?" She says dramatically.   
  


"Marie, I don't need that kind of..."  
  


"Are you blind?" Marie practically exclaims. "Here you have a very cute boy, who is obviously interested in you and you won't even give him a shot. He could be your soul mate and you wouldn't even know it."  
  


"Its not that, its just......" I sigh. "Everytime a boy enters my life it just becomes more stressful, plus its college, he will expect a lot more than I can offer."  
  


"A boy that's truly interested won't care if he's your first boyfriend or your thousandth." Marie says.   
  


"And I suppose he won't care if your his ex-girlfriend's younger sister either?" I smirk.  
  


"Still a work in progress....but hey don't change the subject we have a serious crisis on our hands." Marie shrills.   
  


I stare down at my phone again, trying to figure out a way to get myself out of this mess but half hoping that Cupid would fly down from the heavens and instruct me on how to respond to this text.   
  


"You are overthinking it" Marie prods.   
  


"What?" I ask.  
  


"Exactly. I haven't known you long Alexia but I know that face and that face means you are all up in your head. He is just asking how you are, you wouldn't take this long to reply if he asked you in person would you?"  
  


I sigh. " I guess you are right."  
  


"Phone." Marie offers out her hand, and I place the coveted object in her palm. "Now I am Niall Horan, so when I ask you a question, you are going to respond like we are having a real conversation. Hey Alexia how are you?"  
  


I laugh at the stupidity of the exercise. "I'm doing pretty well, how are you?" I repeat back to "Niall".  
  


Marie gives me a disapproving look, but looks down at my phone and presses send. "And now we wait", she states.   
  


"You don't have anywhere else to be?" I ask, desperately trying to get out of the awkward events taking place in our dorm room.   
  


Marie gives me a clever smirk. "I think creating a distraction for you is an important enough place to be, I've got all night."   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Chapter 7

**Alexia POV**

Stepping back into the chemistry classroom is like stepping back into my worst nightmare. I desperately want to ask Mrs. Smithson why she thinks I am such an awful science student, why she felt I would be best matched with Louis Tomlinson, why I was the one who had to put up with the challenge of dealing with a difficult lab partner all semester. But I don't. Instead I take my seat in the middle of the classroom next to Zayn and pull out my notebook and a pen, preparing to take notes for the day.

"How's it going Alexia?" Zayn asks in a sincere voice.

"It's going fine. Just thankful today is class and not lab." I cringe at the thought of having to spend 3 hours beside the arrogant being that is Louis Tomlinson.

"I'm sorry about that Alexia, but I'm sure you will handle it. Besides, most of our grade is based off of class and not lab." Zayn offers an encouraging smile and I know that he's right.

Mrs. Smithson walks in a few minutes later and I organize my notebook and prepare for lecture. Just as the clock strikes nine, a figure stumbles into the classroom. I don't even have to turn my head to know that it's Louis Tomlinson, my obnoxious lab partner.

"Mr. Tomlinson, glad to see you've decided to join us this morning" Mrs. Smithson comments in a sarcastic voice.

"The pleasure is all mine" Louis responds. I make eye contact and he sends me a wink. I roll my eyes and turn back to face the front of the classroom.  So yesterday he couldn't talk to me and now he is winking at me? Irritated I choose to ignore Louis and return my attention to the class.

"I would like to remind all of you that this afternoon we will be having a one hour labratory to continue planning your semester project. This is mandatory and I expect all of you to be there."  Mrs. Smithson says and the class groans.  She then proceeds with the lecture.  When Mrs. Smithson dismisses us I quickly go to the front of the classroom to ask her a question. 

"Miss Hollaway how can I help you?" she asks, surely wondering how at this point I could already have questions for her.

"Yes...I was wondering....umm..I was wondering how the lab partners were matched up?" I say suprising myself with my boldness at the end of the sentence. 

"You are with Tomlinson, correct?" She asks with an eyebrow.

"Yes and I was just wondering how. I'm just a little concerned." I say trying not to sound like a whining student. 

"Like I said before Miss Hollaway, the lab partners were assigned based demonstrated science ability"

"But I scored a 32 on my Science ACT, this must be a mistake" I say mortified that my college professor might be suggesting I lacked science ability. 

"I never implied you did not demonstrate science ability, you are a very strong science student Alexia. Now if you will excuse me, I have another class to teach in a few minutes" Mrs. Smithson states.

I gather my stuff and walk out of the classroom.  Was this woman delusional? There was no way that Louis Tomlinson had similar science test scores.  If she didn't doubt my ability then why was I paired with the worst student in the class.  Frustrated I take out my phone to text Marie, only to see a text from Niall.

_Want to go out to dinner with me tonight? Does 7 work? - Niall_

Niall was asking me on at date?  Although it was unexpected I thought of what Marie and I had talked about the other night.  I was in college, college was about new things and taking risks. What would it hurt to spend an evening out with a very attractive soccer player?  Without thinking I respond. 

_I'm in._

   
A few hours later, I find myself once again in the Chemistry Lab.  Louis was there right as the clock struck four, unsurprisingly.

"Well what are we doing today love"  He says in that stupid, annoying, somehow seductive accent of his. 

"WE are working on some ideas for our final project." I say, emphasizing the we.

"Jeez, someone's a little angry this afternoon, rough day I take it?" He says in that slightly sarcastic voice of his. 

"My day was fine until about five minutes ago, so can we please just get to work on this brainstorming so I can leave by five and go get ready for my night." I say slightly irritated.

"Ooooo, hot date huh Alexia". Wouldn't want to interfere with that now would I?" he smirks.

"Please can we just do Chemistry?" I sigh with frustration and stare at my worksheet.  I guess if he wasn't going to help I would just do this whole project by myself. 

"I get the feeling you don't like me very much but Alexia I've got to tell you I'm a very likeable guy. "  Louis smirks.

" I don't. Now what kind of experiment are we doing?" I say.

"Your the science nerd now aren't you?" Louis raises his eyebrow.

"Well...I was thinking...."

"I knew you already had it all planned out. So we can leave?" Louis starts to pack up his stuff.

"Stop. I am not doing all this work. I refuse.  I may come up with the idea, but you are going to have to help put in some of the work. " I groan. 

"Agreed." Louis sighs.

"So if I write the research proposal you'll meet me once a week to work on it?" I ask, praying that for once Louis acts decent. 

"If that's what it takes for you to tolerate me Alexia."

"Okay how does Thursday night work?"

"That's fine. So we can go now right?"

"Yes." I sigh.

Louis grabs his stuff off the lab bench and begins to walk towards the door. I follow him out. As we leave the building, he turns around giving me a sly smile.

"Better get ready for your hot date... Don't wanna keep Niall waiting now would we."

I feel my face turn fifty shades of pink as Louis walks away. How did he know I was going out with Niall tonight? I try my best to ignore it, I'm not sure why I always let Louis get under my skin. I am going to have a fantastic night with Niall and forget all about Louis Tomlinson.

 

"You look absolutely stunning Alexia" Niall says after I answer the door.  I feel my cheeks flush.

"Thank you"

"Well, should we head out? I have a reservation for us at 7:30 at a little Italian place downtown." Niall smiles, gesturing towards the door.  

"Sure" I say as I follow Niall out the door. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Alexia POV**

Niall places a warm hand on the small of my back as we walk into the restaurant.  It's a nice atmosphere, casual and cozy- an excellent choice for a first date.  

"7:30 reservation for Horan," he tells the waitress.

"Party of 2?" she asks back and Niall flashes me his million watt smile as he nods.  We follow the waitress to a small booth towards the back of the restaurant. After ordering our food, Niall starts with the gentle conversation.

"So why a doctor? I mean you want to be a doctor right?" he asks.

I am a little taken aback by the detail of his questions, but impressed that he remembered something I mentioned to him back on that first day I meant.  "I guess I just like the challenge, solving people's problems, helping them live a better life."

"And even your answer is perfect," Niall grins.  "Been to that Styles mansion yet? I hear it's incredible, and you have to be a science nerd to see it." 

"Styles mansion? No...but I think that might be where our open house is next week. Why would it be at someone's house?"

"The Styles family is big on campus, donated a lot of money to the school. And their son studies something science. Don't know much about it to be honest. Not really my thing."

"And what is your thing exactly, Niall?"

"Pretty much just soccer. You should come to the game Saturday, it's just a practice match, but you can watch us kick some butt," he winks.

"I'll mark my calendar," I smile, pleased with my flirting abilities so far.  

Niall flashes back a smile in return. We continue our pleasant conversation after our food arrives.  I learn that Niall has an older brother and that he really does eat, breathe and sleep soccer.  I tell him about my passion for ballet, and how it's something that I hope to continue during college.  The night seems to be going perfectly until I hear a familiar voice enter the door.  

I look up to see none other than Louis Tomlinson with his Barbie-doll girlfriend wrapped around his arm.  At that moment, he happens to turn and start walking towards us.  Luck would have it they are seated at the table directly across from us.  I turn away quickly, hoping that by avoiding eye contact he will ignore me like every other time we've crossed paths.  

"Horan! Imagine seeing you here tonight," Louis says in that cocky voice of his.  

"Hey Tommo, hey Erica," Niall smiles back.  

"Alexia, glad to see you made it in time," Louis says with a tease.  I give him the look as if to tell him to leave me alone, and he seems to get the hint.  Erica does not. She gives me a look as though I'm trash at her feet.  

"You know Tommo well then?" Niall asks, sensing either the irritation or the fact that despite how irritating I found Louis I couldn't help but be jealous of his supermodel girlfriend.  

"We're lab partners for Chemistry class," I say with a sigh.

"Well unless your chemistry lab involves a soccer ball, can't imagine Tommo's much help."

"Exactly," I say with an eye roll.

"Well, I'm about ready if you are? I'll get the check.  Don't want to keep you out too late on a school night ya know." 

"Ya of course," I nod in agreement, eager to leave the presence of Louis Tomlinson.  

Niall pays for the check and we head out of the restaurant, but I can't help but look back at Louis and Erica.  I catch eyes with Louis and he gives me a sarcastic smirk.  I turn back around and grab Niall's hand in my hand as we walk out of the restaurant, just to show Louis I could care less.  

 

Niall, being the gentleman that he is walks me back to my dorm.  There is a tension in the air, both of us not knowing what to expect in the upcoming moments and trying to imagine what the other is thinking.  We stop just before the stairs.  

"Listen Alexia, I had an amazing time tonight.  You are just as incredible as I thought when I first met you," Niall's voice seems to soften and I feel his body shift closer to mine. 

"I had a really great time tonight too Niall.  Thank you," I feel like my last words barely come out above a whisper because I've been caught under the spell of Niall's baby blue eyes looking into mine. There is a silence for a moment and I see Niall's eyes glance at my lips.  

I feel his breath near mine and then feel his lips brush mine.  The kiss is gentle and smooth, but I still feel the warmth of Niall's body against mine.  Niall doesn't drag it out- maintaining his stature as a gentleman in my eyes.  

As we break apart Niall flashes me a soft smile.  "I'll talk to you soon?"

"Yes of course. Thank you again."

"Good night Alexia."

"Good night Niall." 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Louis POV**

"Last set of the day lads, let's make it a good one before the scrimmage Saturday." I yell at my team.  The role of team captain was something I took very seriously, and I knew the first scrimmage of the season could make or break our chances at a successful season. 

As I finish my last drill, I go to the bench and grab a towel, wiping the sweat off my brow.   I grab my phone out of my gym bag and check the time. _Crap!_ It was already 5:30 and I had to meet Alexia at 6:30 to work on that dumb Chemistry assignment.  

As I grab my bag and head towards the locker room, I spot Horan sprinting towards the fence.  I'm about to call out to him and tease him about his date last night, when I realize he is running towards a small fan club of girls waiting along the fence.  I observe him and his cheesy attempts at flirtation as I leave.  Niall would always being Niall- the biggest flirt I knew.  That's why it surprised me so much to hear he was actually going on a date.  

Deciding it wasn't any of my business, I headed to the locker room to shower and get a quick bite to eat before that godforsaken chemistry assignment took over the rest of my night.  

********

"You're late." Alexia says to me with a disgusted look as I open the door to the chemistry lab at precisely 6:45.  

"Some of us have lives you know" I say with a smile, knowing it will only frustrate her more.  I had to say I enjoyed getting into Alexia's head.  She got so frustrated over absolutely nothing that it was rather entertaining.  

"Are you implying I don't have a life?"

"Not at all" I smirk taken back by her fiery response.

"Can we please talk about some Chemistry now? She sighs.  In a sense, I feel bad for her.  I mean she was obviously intelligent and cared a lot about her success in school, and here she was stuck with me for this project.  But at the same time, she could learn a few things about not being so obsessed with her schoolwork and she could help me pass chemistry while she's at it.  

Alexia drones on and on about an idea for our proposal.  I just nod.  I mean we are going to do what she wants anyway so it doesn't really matter what I think is good.  I space off for a while when Alexia brings me back into reality.

"So does Thursday night work for you then?" 

"For what?"

"For our weekly time to work on the project.  We can add additional time as necessary." She sighs.

"Ya sure" I say.  She wouldn't need me every week anyway.  

Alexia begins to gather her things and I assume that this meeting is over.  Thank God.  "So how was Horan last night" I smirk.

"We had a great time" I know she's trying to keep a straight face but I can see her cheeks begin to flush.  

"Oh it looked like, gotta say Hollaway you were a lot snugglier on the first date than I expected, didn't strike me as a first date kinda girl."

"I'm not a first date kinda girl, thank you very much." She says sternly. "And how was your dinner?"

"Just wonderful" I reply. My mind tells me otherwise but that wasn't for Alexia to know.  

"Good." Alexia replies, obviously at a loss for what to say next.  A tension falls between us, and I'm not sure what to make of it.  Alexia begins to stand up and walk towards the door.  

My mind flashes back and forth between making the comment, or not making it.  Normally, I wasn't a guy to care much about other people's relationships, and certainly not the relationship of someone that was not even close to being my friend.  But there was something about Alexia that made me feel like she needed some warning.  Some protection and although I wasn't sure what was coming over me,  the old Louis appeared for just a moment.

"Alexia!" She turned around and looked at me.

"Be careful with Niall, okay.  He's quite the flirt."  She looks at me questioning and then walks out the door.  

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Alexia POV**

I was surprised at the amount of people at the soccer scrimmage at 10 am on a Saturday morning.  But sure enough, there were more than enough students to make a small sea of blue in the bleachers.  Marie and I grab a seat in the middle of the stands, close enough that I can see Niall's blonde head bobbing in the huddle, but not quite close enough that he can make eye contact were he to see me.  

"Marie, do you know anything about soccer?" 

"Not really, I'm afraid." she replies with a smile.  

"We will be in for a treat than won't we" 

"I mean let's be honest, we didn't come to watch the game, we came to watch the players." Marie says with a wink.

"Agreed" I say and we both laugh.  After a long week of school, it was nice to finally do something fun for a change- even if it was watching a sport I didn't quite understand.  

The game begins and we watch the players run down the field. Niall is in and from what I can tell so is Louis, his brown hair and slim features unmistakable in the field.  Only minutes into the scrimmage, a player breaks lose and makes a goal.  I find myself on my feet cheering.  

"GOAL!!!!! Tomlinson!" I hear over the loudspeaker.  Of course, it was Louis.  He was the all-star soccer player if I remember correctly.  I find my eyes drifting to watch Louis as he runs to the sideline, but quickly catch myself staring and turn to face Marie.  

"He may not be good at chemistry, but he sure is good at soccer." she says, receiving an eye roll from me in return. 

"No wonder he's so pigheaded. He's got the whole soccer team praising him like a god." I say under my breath.  

I hear a guy behind me bust into laughter at my comment and turn to catch a glance.  

"Good one" he says with a smile.  "Sorry, for eavesdropping but I couldn't help myself." The guy has distinctive brown curls and piercing green eyes. His smile revealing his dimples.  

"He's my lab partner. Awful." The guy gives me a smile.  

"Well I'm awfully sorry about that one.  I'm Harry by the way." He offers out his hand for Marie and I.

"Alexia, and this is my friend Marie." 

A shorter girl walks and sits down next to Harry as he is introducing himself.  She gives us a warm and friendly smile.  

"This is my girlfriend, Leah.  Leah, this is Alexia and Marie."  

"Nice to meet you girls.  Here watching someone in particular?" Leah asks.  

"No..."

"Niall, she's here watching Niall." Marie interrupts me before I have a chance to finish.  

"Oh, Horan...you guys are a thing?" Leah asks. 

"We just went on a date, nothing serious." I reply, surprised at my openness with someone that I had met only seconds before.  

"I've heard he's quite the charmer." She says in a voice I can't quite tell is joking or serious.  

"Well, we will let you get back to enjoying the game.  I'll be listening for some more Tomlinson jokes." Harry says with a smile.  

Marie and I return to watching the game.  Around halftime, Niall catches my eyes in the crowd and gives me a little wave.  I wave back, but as he turns to run into the locker room,  my gaze catches the icy blue eyes of Louis, who simply gives me a stare.  I sigh loudly.

"What?" Marie says with a questioning look.  "Wasn't it good that Niall waved at you?"

"Yes of course.  But then I made eye contact with my lovely lab partner who did nothing but give me a stare down."  

"Why do you let him get to you?" Marie asks.  Of course that's the very question I keep asking myself.  

"I don't know.  The other night when we were in the lab, he made some weird comment about Niall and I feel like its in reference to that. " My mind keeps replaying the strange moment of his head.  

"Like?"

"Like to be careful because Niall was a 'flirt'". 

"And you are going to take the word of a guy who has been nothing but rude to you ever since you met him?"

"I guess not." I say with a sigh.  Marie was right.  Louis was just trying to get in my head.  He was a narcissistic, big-headed soccer player who would do anything to make me feel bad about myself, and I wasn't going to take his word for anything.  

We pull of a 3-0 win.  Louis making another goal before the game is through.  Niall doesn't make any goals, but he plays well.  As Marie and I stand up she gives me a nudge.  

"Well are you gonna go congratulate him?" She asks with a smirk.  

"I don't know....I mean its not like we are dating or anything." I say shyly.  

"Go Alexia, c'mon." Marie says and I reluctantly go to the edge of the field.  Niall spots me immediately and shoots me a huge grin.  

"Alexia! You made it!" He gives me a huge hug, and I don't even care that he is all gross and sweaty.  

"Congratulations on the win" I tell him.  

"Thank you so much for coming, it really means a lot." 

"Oh no problem, it was great to get out and enjoy the sun."  

"What are you doing later?" Niall asks casually.  

"I'm not sure." I say, not wanting to admit that I had nothing planned at all but definitely not opposed to Niall creating some plans for me.  

"You should come to the soccer house tonight.  There is gonna be a big party since we won our first scrimmage of the season!" 

"I would love to! What time?" 

"Horan! Post-Game Huddle now!" I hear the distinct accent of Louis in the background.  Niall gives me an apologetic look.  

"I've gotta go! I'll text you!" He yells as he runs to the awaiting huddle.  

"Well that looked good. " Marie says with a smirk when I meet her at the bleachers.  

"It was.  He wants me to come to a party tonight. " I say.

"That sounds fun! We should go! Get the college experience." Marie laughs.

"I mean, I guess so.  You'll come with right?" I ask..

"Party=Liam sighting, so I'm totally in." Marie says with a laugh. 

"Sounds like we have plans for our night then." I say as we head back to our dorm room.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Alexia POV**

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I ask Marie as I finish curling the last strands of my hair. Over the course of the last 30 minutes, my nerves of attending this party had increased by five times. I wasn't much of the party type and even though Marie and I had both agreed to stay sober for the event, my inner goodie-two-shoes was screaming that it was not a good idea.

"Alexia, for the last time. You are going to be sober. You are not doing anything wrong and if its completely awful we are going to leave." At least Marie had her head on straight. Well, at least partly. I could tell by the way she meticulously straightened each strand of hair so it lay perfectly that she was fixated on the idea of maybe seeing Liam Payne tonight. I just hoped that seeing him wouldn't come with seeing her sister, who would without a doubt not be pleased to see her younger sister in the same place as she was.

Niall had texted me after the game, as promised and told me to be at the house around 10. Marie and I decided to be fashionably late and left our dorm at exactly 10. So that we would arrive at the house about 10 minutes late.

I hear the music coming from the house even before I see it. You can practically feel the pulsating bass as you walk down the street. The soccer house wasn't much to look at. It was a sort of old, chipping house situated next to all the other college houses. The yard was a little unkempt and even though the night was just started there were groups of people standing on the front lawn with red solo cups strewn about. The only distinguishable feature of the house was the soccer goal in the front yard, which at the moment had two rather intoxicated guys sitting on top of it. Talk about dangerous.

My mind is screaming at me that this can't be a good idea, but Marie just gives me a faint smile and I know that it will all be okay. We are in this together and with the amount of people here I knew it would be easy to slip out unnoticed.

Opening the door to the house, we are swallowed up into a sea of college students. Some dancing, some socializing and almost all of them with a cup in hand. We look around lost for a moment, having no idea where to go or in which direction to try and maneuver.

"Alexia" Marie practically shouts so I can hear here over the loud music. "Isn't that him over there?" I look to my right to see the blonde bobbing head I'm sure is Niall-gathered around a pool table with a bunch of other dudes.

Instead of attempting to yell back to Marie. I simply grab her arm and start moving towards him. He spots me as we make our way through the crowd.

"Alexia. Good to see you" he gives me a warm hug and I already feel like my body temperature has doubled. "Marie right?"

Marie gives him a nod back. "Well ladies, drinks are in the kitchen, help yourself to whatever. Ill just be hanging over here. Trying to finish up this game of pool."

"Thank you." I say and motion to Marie to follow me. As soon as we are out of earshot of Niall I give her a glance.

"What do we do about the drinks?"

"Just get a cup and fill it up with some Coca-Cola. No one will even know the difference."

Marie hands me two red cups and I begin to pour the brown liquid into both. As I take a sip of my "drink" I hear a familiar voice behind me.

"Well aren't I surprised to see you here. Horan convinced you to leave the books for a night?" I turn around to face Louis.

"Yep" I reply giving him the fakest smile I can muster.

"Alexia let's go dance!" Marie interrupts grabbing my arm and relieving me of the situation for which I'm thankful for.

I watch Louis chuckle to himself as we walk away. Marie and I start dancing to the music without a care in the world, when I feel a set of hands wrap around my waist.

"Care if I cut in?" I hear Niall's voice next to my ear. My stomach catches butterflies at the feeling of his breath against my neck. I turn to smile at him, letting him know that he was welcome to dance with me.

Time seems to pass slowly, I dance with Niall in an almost heavenly state. Our hips swaying from side to side in one fluid motion, as if we are one being and not two. Marie even finds a dance partner. I'm knocked out of my daze, however, by the angry yelling of a high-pitched voice.

"You never want to do anything. You promised me we would go out tonight, you swore if you won the game we would go out!"

"I never promised anything Erica! Im tired it's been a long day, I thought the house party would be enough. But it's never enough with you is it. You always want something more." I instantly recognize Louis voice.

Niall motions that he's going to step away and I give him a small smile. The party has almost come to a stand still as everyone listens to hear the drama unfold. Its in the stillness that I spot Louis and his girlfriend at the back of the living room, red faces and all.

"You know I can have any guy I want here. Any guy, all I have to do is give them the word. If you won't go out with me tonight, someone else will- gladly." the stuck-up smile disgusts me. Louis was bad enough, but this girl was far worse if that was possible.

Louis tosses his hands up in the air, as if he is giving up on the situation entirely. "We both know you don't want anyone else, so why lie to yourself love"

Erica laughs, some obnoxious laugh. "If that's what gets you to sleep at night Lou. I don't need you to have fun."

Louis' blood looks like its boiling and I can see by the way his hands ate clenched at his side's that its not going to go well.

"Go out without me then. I couldn't care less." He says and begins to walk through the crowd towards the door.

"Where are you going" Erica practically shrieks.

I hold my breath as Louis stops almost directly in front of Marie and I.   
"Out of here." He says with a voice of anger. And he turns to leave the house, I lock eyes with him for a second. His eyes are different this time, less icy and more filled with rage. Within a minute he's gone and the party has resumed to the normal chaos. Niall is out of site and Marie and I find ourselves once again out of place.

"Crap" Marie mutters under her breath and the figure of her sister walking towards us. In tow the strong, muscular figure of a man I could only guess to be Liam.

"Marie, what do you think you are doing here?" Sophia asks in an authoritative tone. I feel bad for Marie, she didn't deserve a sister who could be so utterly cold.

"We were invited Sophia." Marie says strongly, but I still hear the crackle in her voice. Sophia rolls her eyes.

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" Sophia makes a little laugh.

"Niall invited us." I speak up in hopes of defending my friend.

"Oh ya because you two are definitely the type of girls Niall Horan hangs out with."

"Sophia..I can go check, maybe they aren't lying." Liam starts to interject.

"Liam. Regardless of whether they were invited or not. I will not be seen at the same party as my little sister. One of us is leaving and its not going to be me." Sophia snarls. Liam remains quiet, but I see him give Marie a sympathetic look.

"Okay. Goodbye." Marie says and grabs my arm to lead us away. But not before I spy Erica on the couch making out with some blonde who was obviously not Louis.

In that moment, I couldn't help but feel a pinch of sympathy for Louis, who surely didn't deserve to be treated the way Erica treated him, no matter how big of a jerk he was. I decide the lack of sleep must have hit me. In what kind of delusional world did I feel sorry for Louis Tomlinson?

"Let's head back" says Marie obviously disappointed by the events that had just unfolded.

"Sophia shouldn't have said that to you, you know" I try to console my friend.

"It's okay. It was getting late anyway. At least Liam was nice." She says but I can tell in her tone that she is more than disappointed with the nights events. "You didnt say goodbye to Niall"

"No big deal. I'm sure he will send me a text later" I also don't hide my disappointment, even though I know Niall was just being a good host. We continue walking towards our dorms.

"Marie" I say suddenly stopping in my tracks.

"What?" She looks back at me curiously.

"Is that someone sitting on the soccer field?"

Marie turns and looks where I'm pointing a small figure sitting slumped against the goal.

"Probably just some drunk" Marie scoffs.

"But why would they be there alone?" Curiosity overcoming me.

"Don't know. But we have to walk right past there so I guess we will find out." Marie shrugs. 

As we near the field, the figure comes more into focus. I instantly recognize him, even with the bottle of liquor in his hand. 

"Marie, that's Louis." I feel like I almost gasp.

"So what?" Marie says. "I'm sure you are the last person he wants to see right now in this obviously drunken state. "

"I wasn't suggesting we go and talk to him. God only knows how much of a jerk he probably is when he's drunk. " I say motioning for us to continue. We keep walking but I can't help but glance back at Louis, the boy who seemingly has it all, and wonder what could possibly bring him to drink alone on the soccer field on a Saturday night. 

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Alexia POV**

I wake up the next morning to a text from Niall.

_Hey Alexia, it was so nice to dance with you last night. Sorry we didn't get a chance to say goodbye. Have some time this week?_

It was strange to me that I wasn't bothered in the slightest that it took him nearly 12 hours to text me, but I was proud of myself. I had always been the one who overreacted and analyzed everything far before it was necessary and I felt at peace knowing that for once in my life, I was letting things with Niall run their course. I wasn't sure what would happen between us, but I knew that I could only hope it was continuing on the path we were currently on.

It was Sunday, and as much as I had enjoyed my day off from responsibilities yesterday, I knew that I needed to crack down on some homework. The proposal for my chemistry project was due in a week and a half, and I had no doubt that I would be doing all of the work. I decide to shoot Zayn a text to see if he wants to meet up in the library to study and he happily obliges.

"Alexia! How's that chemistry project coming along?" Zayn asks with a smile as I take a seat across from him at one of the large tables.

"Awful. I mean I might as well not even have a partner the way its going." Zayn gives me a sympathetic smile.

"Well, you know sometimes life throws us challenges and we just have to catch them and do our best."

"Do you ever run out of philosophical advice?" I ask.

"No not really." He shrugs.

"Zayn I just don't know how I'm going to get this all done before next week alone. There are so many pieces and I want it to be good you know. Professor Sampson must hate me as it is. "

"Did you tell him that you were working on it today?" Zayn prods.

"Of course not" I sigh. "It wouldn't do any good. He's no doubt hungover from last night and I know that he wouldn't consider a weekend part of our agreement."

"It's worth the attempt." Zayn says. I sigh giving in to Zayn's argument. It's not like things could been any worse between Louis and I, we practically loathed each other as it is. I pull out my phone and click on Louis name. Good thing I had managed to convince him that I might need his contact information in case of an "academic emergency".

_Hi. I'm working on the project in the library right now. Could use some help considering its due next week._

I press send. "Done." I say to Zayn and stick my head back in books. If this was ever going to get done without me ripping my hair out, I was gonna have to accept that fact that I was doing it solo.

Two hours later, with no response from Louis, I let out a sigh. "Zayn, I need to take a break for awhile. The dance club is meeting today so I thought I would get a bit of practice in to relieve some stress."

"I think that sounds like exactly what you need Alexia. I'll probably still be here when you are done, so feel free to stop back by."

"I'll probably take you up on that offer" I say with a laugh and head towards the studio.

***************

**Louis POV  
**

 

I wake up on Sunday with a pounding head and a nauseated stomach. The night before is a blur. The last thing I remember is sitting on the football field with my good friend Jack Daniels. I don't remember how I even got to Harry's apartment, but I have a suspicion that in my drunken state I had given him a call.

"Well, good morning sunshine" Harry says in a voice that only agitates my head even more. "Thought, I wasn't going to see you up and about until a few more hours. You were pretty out of it last night"

"How did I get here?" I ask Harry, knowing my best friend had definitely been in a sober state and hoping he would fill in the gaps that seemed to be missing from my memory. 

"You called me, pretty drunk and I brought you here. Almost drank yourself to the point of passing out last night on the football field. I'd love to know what inspired that decision Lou" Harry asks. 

"I didn't tell you last night?" Harry shakes his head and I realize that I must have really been out of it to fail and express my frustrations with Harry. 

"Erica and I got into an argument at the party." 

"Of course" Harry shakes his head, and even though I should be slightly angry with Harry for his lack of sympathy, I know he is right. This was something that happened frequently.   
I continue my story.

"She wanted to go out after, I didn't. I was tired from the game and didn't really feel like being hungover all day today, which I guess apparently backfired on me. But ya, we got in this big argument and soon the whole house party was watching and she told me she could have any guy she wanted go out with her and I told her she knows she only wanted me. And then I decided to leave. " I cringe, remembering the memory and the shame I felt walking out of that house alone. 

"And you ended up on the football field how?" Harry prods.

"I was fuming Harry, and I don't know it just got to me this time. It was like I could never please her but at the same time I was mad at myself for taking that crap from her. I knew I was better than that. And then I started thinking about the fact that at that moment she was probably lip-locked with some other guy, having the time of her life. So I just started drinking, and well, you know what happened then." I sigh. Harry looks at me, his face serious. 

"Louis, how many times does this have to happen before you realize you deserve better than her? You need a girl that supports you and cares more about where she's gonna get wasted this weekend"

"But, Harry if I break up with her, or she breaks up with me...my reputation is ruined. I've gained so much from her what if I lose it all?"

"Would that really be that bad of a thing Louis?" Harry says. I know in his mind it would be the best thing, but to me, my social status was my life. If I were to take a hit, I'd lose so much respect. Harry never cared about what everyone else thought of him, he didn't understand the rush I got from people knowing my name and being envied by so many people. Harry didn't know that I was scared of losing my popularity more than anything, because in reality, besides Harry that was all I had. 

"I don't know Harry"

"You know. I think you would be a lot happier without her if you ask me."

I don't respond to that for a few minutes, I let it sink in. Harry had never liked Erica, and with good reason. But I knew that no matter how much stress she added to my life, she had shaped me into the person I was today- good or bad. 

My phone buzzes, and I look to see a text from Alexia, asking about working on that stupid Chemistry project. I let out an exasperated sigh.

"What was that for?" Harry asks, obviously noticing the way I reacted to the text message. 

"Nothing, just my stinking lab partner can't seem to take a day off."

"I met her you know. At the soccer game. Nice girl, quite funny."

"You talked to her?" I say in amazement. 

"Of course, she was making a great comment about you, couldn't help but share in her laughter. You seem to have made quite the impression on her, although I can't say its been a good one"

"Did you tell her you knew me?"

"Of course not Louis, that's your information to share not mine" I breathe a sigh of relief, thankful that Harry was such a good friend despite the lack of appreciation I often showed him. 

"You like her don't you?" Harry smiles.

"Absolutely not, besides she has a thing with Niall Horan" I think back to seeing her last night with him and feel disgust fill my throat. 

"Leah told me that, she deserves better than that I know," Harry says. 

"I tried to warn her about him," I say and Harry just raises his eyebrow, realizing I just added more fuel to the fire. "She didn't believe me"

"I can see why," Harry said. "So you aren't going to respond to that text?"

I shake my head. "Its my day off. No matter how nice of a girl you think she is Harry, I have a reputation to uphold." 

 

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Alexia POV**

I decide that it would be in my best interest not to mention anything to Louis today in lab about the events of the party Saturday night, or about seeing him on the football field afterwords.  Although I was naturally curious about what had occurred, I knew better than to start in on that conversation with someone as sassy and sarcastic as Louis Tomlinson.  I doubted he would even acknowledge seeing me at the same social event as himself.  But as I take my seat next to him for lab, I discover that I was in fact very wrong.  

"So Alexia, what did you think of the party on Saturday night?" Louis looks at me eyebrow raised.  Coming from a normal person this would seem like a genuine, pleasant conversation, coming from Louis, I knew to prepare myself to be insulted.  

"It was fun, I enjoyed it" I say, keeping my head high, trying my best to avoid being victim to Louis's sneers.  

"You and your friend seemed to really enjoy that Coca-Cola, I knew you didn't strike me as much of lawbreaker."

I'm sure my mouth drops open, if Louis had observed Marie and I's attempt at blending into the crowd while remaining sober, I wonder how many other people saw the same thing.  I feel my cheeks begin to flush.  "How do you know that?" I ask feigning ignorance.

"I mean you guys weren't exactly stealthy about it.  I practically watched you guys discuss the whole thing.  Your friend that's Sophia's sister isn't it?" Louis asks, while simultaneously measuring out the compound needed for the lab procedure we were performing today.  I careful watch him to make sure he is doing it correctly, in hopes of avoiding a catastrophic explosion.  

"Marie, yes.  You know Sophia?" I ask hoping that maybe if I ask enough questions he will reveal something about the drama that unfolded with his girlfriend.  

"Yep, she's quite close with Erica.  I hear her little sister has quiet the crush on Liam, her boyfriend, I know that does nothing but annoy her. " I actually smile for once, knowing that is in fact extremely true.  

"Have never quite been able to figure that one out either.  Marie definitely sees something in him though. " I say, surprised at how easily conversation is flowing between the two of us today, besides his earlier degrading comment.  

I wait to see if Louis makes any further comments about Erica but he doesn't.  He simply pretends that he never mentioned her name and continues to grill me.

"And how was Horan?"

"He was good, thank you."

"His Saturday night personality wasn't too crazy for you?" Louis says, obviously implying that Niall had somehow acted differently.

"It was the same as always Louis."

"Or so you think" I hear him mutter under his breath.  I choose to ignore him.

Its silent for a few minutes and I take it the conversation is over as I continue to work on the lab procedure.  I jot down the notes for the two of us, knowing Louis can't be trusted to do any of the dirty work.  

My mind instantly remembers the text he ignored yesterday, and the anger I felt yesterday when I was ignored returns.  The proposal was due this week and I was still feeling overwhelmed.   
 With a short lapse of judgement I decide to bring it up.  

"You didn't answer my text yesterday" I say strongly.

"What text?" Louis plays dumb, of course.  I never would expect him to readily admit to his mistake.  

"I texted you asking to help work on our proposal and you never even responded. "

"Oh that text.  Ya, sorry about that, I was really tired you know from the game and all.  Just needed a day to kind of recover. "

I feel my blood start to boil.  "Well you know Louis, most people would simply respond back with some lame excuse about being busy.  But I guess you don't even have the decency to do that.  You're just too good for that aren't you?" I see Zayn glance back from the lab bench in front of me, a sign that my voice may have raised just a little too loudly to be appropriate for the classroom setting.  

Louis looks at me slightly shocked, obviously taken aback by the argument I was initiating between us.  "Wow, someone's a little grumpy this morning.  Niall didn't send you a nice good morning text?" I glare at Louis. "Alexia, like I said, I was really tired yesterday recovering from the game.  My life doesn't revolve around my academics unfortunately."

"Right, your life only revolves around things that would somehow help your ego. I'll finish the proposal and it will be fantastic, and you can thank me when we get a decent grade. " I say, beginning to gather my things as the lab period comes to an end.  

"Class before you leave I have an announcement!" Professor Sampson screeches and everyone comes to a halt. "For all you science majors, the department is hosting their annual meet and greet event tomorrow night at 5 pm at the Styles Residence.  Refreshments will be served.  Please take a flyer as you head out and please take advantage of this incredible opportunity. You are now free to go" 

  "I'd be careful what you say about ego, Alexia.  You have no idea what kind of person I am.  I'll be there to work on the proposal at our scheduled time, don't worry. " Louis says as he gathers his books and begins to walk towards the door. 

"I know exactly what kind of person you are Louis Tomlinson" I say muttering under my breath, once again how on earth I could have this bad of luck.  

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

I am taken aback at the sight of the Styles house when I first set foot on the property. The house is enormous with wrap around porches and architecture straight out of the Victorian Era. The fact that it is nearly on school property makes it seem as though it was part of the University itself, although I had heard word that the Styles family was one of the universities top sponsors. Dr. Styles was a top surgeon in the area.  He had done post-doctoral work at Oxford and had published multiple papers in the area of neurosurgery.  Mrs. Styles- who was also a doctor, was a well known pediatric surgeon, best known for her research in a new method of cardiac surgery on infants.  The two alums of the university were major topics of discussion for any prospective students in the sciences and the fact that they continued to give back to the university only solidified their status.  The event was open to all students with an interest in the sciences.  In past years the two doctors had even spoken at the event, but apparently this year they had a conflict and were unable to attend the event. 

I struggle to walk up the stairs in the black pumps I had thrown on for the occasion. The event was "business attire" and I decided that called for a pair of heels, even if it did mean barely being able to walk for the next three hours.

The front of the house is a huge entry way, almost like a castle from the movie. I see students moving about, all dressed professionally. There is a check-in booth to the right side, so I decide to go there first. I give the girl behind the table my name and in return she hands me a nicely printed nametag.  "This event is all about mingling with fellow science majors, refreshments are located in the room to the right, bathrooms are located to the left and down the hall."

I decide refreshments sound like a good way to occupy my time until I spot someone that I know and so I head to the right.  Once again, I am amazed and the size of the house and find myself wondering how someone could even live here.  As I near the punch bowl, I recognize the friendly face of Leah.  She notices me too. "Alexia right?"

"Yes, hi it's so nice to see someone I know here.  You are a science major?" I ask.

"Oh god no" Leah laughs.  "That stuffs way too over my head.  I'm just here helping Harry host- being a good girlfriend and socializing with all you nerds for the evening" We both laugh.  

"Wait,  Harry's hosting?" I ask, wondering if the connection I was making in my mind was correct. 

"Ya, his parents do this every year but ever since Harry has become a student they have passed on most of the responsibility to him. He, like you is a science nerd."

Harry Styles. I had to say with a house like this and such well known parents I would have expected him to be a lot less down-to-earth.  

"Speaking of the devil" She says as Harry walks towards us.

"Alexia, it's good to see you here!" He flashes a cheeky smile.

"Leah was just telling me about how you enlisted her to host your party." I joke. 

"Oh ya, she loves talking about whether stereochemistry or analyzing carbon spectrums is the greatest evil of Organic Chemistry."

Leah rolls her eyes and I laugh.  "I'm only a freshman Harry, that's just as over my head as it is hers."

Harry, Leah and I spend the next half hour talking everything from classes to how the two of them met.  I learn Leah is studying public relations and media communication and dreams of one day producing her own movies.  Harry, like his parents dreams of becoming a top surgeon- although he wants to specialize in cardiology.  Leah asks me to grab coffee in the next week and Harry offers to help me with any science classes I have trouble with- although he doesn't seem to have any advice on how to help me with my chemistry partner problem.  

"Sorry to stop the conversation but where is your closest bathroom?" I ask.

"Well for everyone else it down the hall and to the left.  But since you happen to be friends of the host...I suppose you can skip the line and use the private bathroom.  Go up the stairs and then down the hall on the right.  It should be the third door on the left. "

"Thanks" I tell Harry and excuse myself to find the bathroom.  When I reach the top of the stairs I find that its not as simple as the hall on the right.   As there are multiple hallways  that are somewhat to my right.  I decide to follow the first one.  It is dark up here, obviously in an attempt to keep visitors out of as much of the home as possible.  I  find myself mesmerized by the house itself, glancing at photos of the prestigious Styles family.  There many pictures of Harry as well of some with him and a girl I assume to be his older sister.  

"What are you doing up here?" I jump at the sound of a voice behind me.  "The party is downstairs." 

"I was just...." I stop in my tracks to see that the voice belongs to Louis Tomlinson.  My body stops cold.  What was he doing here? It was like I couldn't even get away from him.  

"I could ask you the same question." I say. Giving Louis a cold-hearted stare, Louis would not scare me out of going upstairs when I clearly had permission from the host.  

"Alexia, this is a private area, you can't be up here." He blatantly ignores my question.  

"Harry Styles gave me permission to be up here to use the bathroom, don't act like you own the place." I say attempting to walk past him but suddenly realizing that I couldn't remember the instructions Harry gave me.  

"You don't even know where it is" He laughs, obviously catching on to my body language.  

"I....I did until you jumped out at me" I argued.  

"Its this door on the left." Louis points. 

"Does Harry know you are up here?" I ask Louis, still wondering why on earth someone like Louis Tomlinson would be at an event for science majors, let alone know his way around the house of the one of the top students of the college.  Harry never mentioned knowing much about Louis while I was complaining about him, but Louis's familiarity with the house was oddly suspicious.  

"That's really none of your business Alexia." He practically snarls at me.  

"Fine, don't tell me.  But just know that I will definitely be asking Harry about you." I say and walk towards the bathroom closing the door behind me.  When I am finished I find Louis out of sight.  

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Alexia POV**

I go back downstairs and spot Leah. Harry, however, is nowhere to be found. Still frazzled from my encounter with Louis, I make my way towards my new found friend.  

"Leah?" 

"Oh hey Alexia, did you find the bathroom okay? It can be a maze up there for sure!"

"Uh ya..is Harry around?" I ask shyly, figuring if anyone knew why Louis Tomlinson seemed to know his way around the Styles house it would be Harry. 

"He actually just had to step out for a minute.  Had some family business to attend to.  Are you all right, you look like you've seen a ghost. " 

"Well, I just saw Louis Tomlinson upstairs in the hallway,  I wondered if Harry knew  he was here."

Its now Leah's turn to turn pale and I can tell by the look of surprise on her face that this was the last thing she expected me to ask.  

"I...I don't know why he would be here.  That seems very out of the ordinary, but perhaps he was looking for some Chemistry help? I'll let Harry know you saw him."  

Although Leah's answer is given with plenty of confidence, I have some suspicion due to her reaction when I asked.  I decide to leave it, that kind of question is something that I would ask the culprit himself.  If he ever showed up to work on our project.  

I give Leah a smile, and decide since the open house is winding down it was as good a time as ever to head out.  Besides, Niall had wanted to get together tonight and I couldn't help but admit that I was excited to spend some more time with him.  

"I think I'm gonna head out Leah, but it was really nice talking to you.  I'll look forward to our coffee date!" I say and give Leah a hug.  

"Thanks for coming! I'll do Harry's job since he ran off." We both laugh and agree that we would meet up later this week.  

As I leave the Styles' mansion, I shoot Niall a text.

_Just finished my open house.  Wanna meet up? :)_

He replies within seconds.

_Of course! See you in a few!_

********************************************************************

**Louis POV**

I storm down the stairs not even caring if I were to draw the attention of the sea of nerds that are below me.  Lucky me, not a single one looks up.  Well, except for the one that I need to see me, he looks at me straight in the eyes.  

"Harry." I say in a voice low enough to avoid catching the attention of the entire room, but with enough force that he knows that we need to talk.  I see Leah give him a sideways glance and I can tell that they are upset I interrupted their little get together.  

"Louis" Harry lays a firm hand on my arm.  "Let's go outside"

I let Harry half drag me out of the house and once we have rounded the corner to the backyard, I let him have it.

"What is she doing here?" I almost growl.  I feel my fists clench, and although I would never hurt Harry in a million years, to an observer it would look as though I was about to beat him to a crisp.  

"Louis, calm down, I told you she might be here.  You were the one out of place for the record."  As much as I hate to admit it, Harry is right.  He had told me that the open house was happening and it he hadn't even had to say it for me to make the connection that she would show up.  Of course she would, that too good, smart--- "Louis, what happened, I don't even know what happened to make you so upset"

"I saw her, she was upstairs and she saw me" I say.

"And did you say anything to her? Why you were there?" Harry prods.

"Of course not Harry.  The only person who knows outside of your own family is Leah, and she's practically family anyway." I sigh, frustrated by Harry.  He had never fully understood why I chose to keep my situation a secret.  Maybe that stemmed from the fact that he had always known who he was, and had been confident in his personality.  Harry never doubted himself, or worried about fitting in.  So he didn't understand how detrimental something like the truth would be after I worked for so long to achieve the sense of belonging I now had- at least externally.  

"So let me guess, you acted like your typical douschebag self and then ran down here?"

I sigh.  Harry knows me too well. "Yea, pretty much mate. Did you plan this?" I ask, knowing that Harry and Leah always had tricks up their sleeves, especially since they shared a strong dislike for Erica.  

"No, Lou.  But I kinda wish I had.  When I sent her up there to use the bathroom, I honestly forgot you were even there."

 "Wow" I say.  Sometimes I think Harry thinks of me as more of a chore than an actual friend.  

"What is going on between you and her, you never let girls get to you and Alexia gets under your skin every minute of the day?"

Harry brings up a good point.  I was not the type of person to care that a girl saw me somewhere, or that she was dating some soccer player that I knew was maybe not the best boyfriend.  I didn't let people that meant so little to be get under my skin, but yet here I was once again venting to Harry about the same girl.  There was something different about her and I couldn't quite put my finger on it.  Alexia just....I stop myself before I go to that thought.  That was something I wasn't going to even admit to myself and most definitely not to Harry.

"Nothing." I respond coldly.  "She is just one of the most annoying people that I've ever met." But I was having trouble even convincing myself that this was the real reason.  

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Alexia POV**

I am greeted by the beautiful pearly white smile of Niall when I get back to my dorm room.  "You look amazing Alexia," he smiles as he wraps his arms around me in a warm embrace. I breathe in the scent of his cologne, instantly letting the scent relax the tension I feel in my body.  

"You seem stressed, what's wrong?" Niall asks, as if he has a sixth sense of all that is running through my head.  

"Oh nothing, just ran into someone at the event that kind of set me off, its fine its over.  I just want to spend time with you," I sigh.  The last thing I want to do right now is talk to Niall about how utterly rude Louis Tomlinson had been to me, and I really didn't want to think about why he would have been in Harry's house to begin with.  It was a waste of energy and time to think about Louis.  

"Louis?" Niall asks.  Was it that obvious to everyone that we had a problem? I nod my head.    
"Alexia I'm going to talk with him.  This is ridiculous, he can't talk to you this way! You are doing him nothing but a favor and he treats you like the bottom of the barrel.  He thinks he is all high and mighty but someone needs to put him in his place, it's about time."

"Niall, really its fine. That will just make things worse." 

"Fine," Niall lets out a sigh, but I can tell by the look on his face that he is not quite ready to drop the subject.  "How 'bout we get out of here for awhile? I have the perfect place.," he gives me a smirk and I feel my heart beat a little faster.  

Niall grabs my hand and softly intertwines his fingers with mine.  He guides me down the stairs and across the campus.  

"Where are we going?" I laugh, as we continue to climb what seems like an endless trek up the hill on the far side of campus.  As we reach the crest, however, I gasp.  At the top of the hill sits a blue-checkered blanket surrounded by candles and a bottle of wine.  

"Niall what is this?" I ask, taken aback by the romantic gesture.  

"Just sit down," he smiles and pours me a glass of wine.  "Alexia, I really love spending time with you," he looks me straight in the eyes.  My heart beat quickens and I feel butterflies in my stomach.   

"I love spending time with you too Niall," I smile back.

"And I just really want to spend more time with you, and get to know you even better," he pauses briefly, and takes a big breath.  "Will you be my girlfriend Alexia Hollaway?"

My face breaks out into a smile the size of the Grand Canyon.  "Yes. Yes, Niall yes," he leans in to kiss me and I take in the tenderness of his lips against my own.  It was one of those fairy tale moments that you dream about when your a little girl.  No matter how bad my day had been going I now had this gorgeous man at my side, a glass of wine in my hand and the most breathtaking view of campus under the moonlight.  For the first time since I had been at college, I truly felt like things were going my way.  

 

**Louis POV**

The fresh scent of the turf at six a.m. gives me the clarity I needed after a rough day of non-important girls getting under my skin.  I lace up my cleats and begin to mindlessly dribble the ball back and forth between my knees.  I hear the rest of the boys arriving for morning practice, dragging of course.  Most people hated morning practice, but for me there was no better way to start out my day than with the game that I loved.  

"Tomlinson," I hear Horan's voice come up behind me.  

"Horan.  You are quite bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning, to what do I owe this increase in energy?"

"We need to talk," he says in a serious tone.  

"Isn't that what we are doing right now mate?" I say with a laugh.  Horan was one of those people who never ceased to get on my bad side.  He truly brought out the worst in me.  

"About my girlfriend, Tomlinson, I'm sick of you treating her like absolute shit."

"Your girlfriend? Horan you have got to be more specific, I can't keep track of all the girls you chase after on a weekly basis." I know this will only get a rile out of him.  I  can only assume which girl he is talking about and I only hope that Alexia hasn't been stupid enough to believe that Niall wants to take part in a serious relationship with her.  

"Stop the jokes Tommo you know damn well that I'm talking about Alexia. I don't know what kind of beef you have with her but you need to stop treating her the way you do," Niall starts to raise his voice.  

"Calm down there buddy.  I am nothing but a gentleman to Alexia, just because I choose to have a life outside of my schoolwork and she doesn't agree with that decision doesn't mean that I'm treating her poorly.  In fact, if I remember correctly, I have actually given her advice on numerous occasions," I snark.

"Advice on what?" Niall asks and I can see his fists clenching together.  

"Well for one, I've told her that you aren't necessarily the most reliable guy.  I mean I know your reputation with girls Horan.  You find one,  get her to practically worship the ground you walk on and then as soon as you find someone new and more interesting you drop her like yesterday's trash.  If anyone has been treating her badly its you."

Niall starts to lunge towards me.  "My relationship with Alexia has absolutely nothing to do with you. Mind your own business."

"Admit it Niall, your worried that she will see right through your little act."

"It's not an act Louis, we both know you're just jealous that she likes me over you."

"Jealous? Believe me Niall, I'm the furthest thing from that. You can keep your science nerd girlfriend and all her emotional issues and self-pity." 

That's all it takes for Niall to lunge at me and tackle me to the ground.  He tries to throw a punch but I get to him first, knocking him straight in the jaw.  We continue to wrestle on the ground until I hear coach whistling towards us and someone finally separates  the two of us.  My hand stings from the impact of the punch and see Niall's lip is bleeding.  I look down to see my hand, already beginning to turn black and blue.  

"Boys this is unacceptable.  Go home, you are suspended from today's practice," coach says.  

I glare at Niall as I grab my bag from the bench.  He gives me a glare back.  "Idiot," I spit under my breath as we pass.  All I know is that I can't wait to see how Alexia explains her "boyfriend's" behavior during lab this afternoon.

 

 


	17. Chapter 17

** Alexia POV **

I know from the minute I hear Louis' footsteps echoing through the lab door that afternoon that something is going on. The sound of him dropping his backpack onto the table next to our lab bench is enough to make me jump.

"Someones in a mood" I mutter as he takes his place next to me. Louis is silent for a few minutes. I take a look at Louis and gasp at the sight of his swollen right eye, with shades of purple beginning to peer through the skin.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" I let the words slip out of my mouth. The minute they leave my lips I instantly regret it. Louis inhales sharply.

"Are you really that soft?" He practically yells, his voice breaking the silence.

"What are you talking about Louis?" I ask taken aback by his attack.

"Hmm, what could I be talking about Alexia? Maybe the fact that you feel so offended by my every action that you sent your so-called boyfriend after me instead of confronting me yourself. Maybe the fact that I was kicked out of my practice, and probably won't be able to play at the game on Saturday. Because of what? Because you cried about how big and mean your lab partner was too you. For God's sake Alexia I have a black eye. "

"Louis, I.." I start but he interrupts me.

"I warned you about Niall you know, I told you he was no good and then what do you do, you go and let him sweep you off your feet."

Louis did mention to stay away from Niall. Multiple times. But why did he think I would listen to his advice of all people. My heart starts to beat a little faster as I feel the temperature in my body rise.

"I told him not to!" Something from deep within my body shouts. Louis looks taken aback.

"I told him not to." I say again my voice much softer. "Yes, I told Niall about what happened at Harry's. Yes I told him you treat me like crap, but I didn't tell him to talk to you about it. I know you think I'm weak and get my feelings hurt easily but you know what Louis I can handle things myself thank you very much"

I feel a wave of relief pass over my body as if all my anger over the first few weeks had been released and I was at peace with my emotions. There was something about Louis that brought the fire out of me. 

"And as far as my relationship with Niall goes Louis, why don't you mind your own business for once? You don't see me criticizing you for sticking around with that Barbie for so long."

Louis gives me a blank look. No doubt processing the information that I just threw at him. No doubt coming up with his next snarky remark.

"Wow Holloway, didn't know you had that in you." He says with a smirk. "But you need to tell your boyfriend that he has absolutely no right talking to me the way he did."

"He's just looking out for me Louis I'm sure..." I begin to say.

"Is that what that was? Because to me it looked a lot more like Horan trying to pick a fight with me" Louis scoffs. I can tell he's not going to back down from this argument. 

Why would Niall talk to Louis if I specifically asked him not to? He did promise me he would keep it between the two of us.  My mind starts to wander back to what Louis had told me about Niall in the past.  Was there something about Niall that I should be weary about? Had I made a bad decision by starting a relationship with him?

No.  What am I thinking? This is exactly what Louis wants, he wants to make it all seem like its my fault.  He wants to distract me from the real problem that we are facing here.  The fact that he treats me like I am nothing but a tool for his success. 

"Why were you in Harry's apartment?" While I'm feeling brave I might as well put it all out on the table right?

"You can't change the subject" Louis stutters looking straight into my eyes with his icy blue ones.

I stare back. "Answer the question"

"Its really none of your business."

"My relationship with Niall is none of your business either and that doesn't seem to stop you from giving me  feedback on it.  So just answer my question" Louis has brought out a sassy side in me and I feel like a lion that can't be tamed. 

"I was getting help with Chemistry.  Harry tutors me. Drop it. " His voice has a sense of hesitation behind it and I feel there is more to the story then a simple tutoring session. Harry was hosting a big event, I doubt tutoring Louis was his first priority.  I, however, being a woman of intelligence, realize that I have achieved a small victory by getting an answer from Louis Tomlinson.  I decide to drop the subject.

I study Louis's face again.  His eye turning a darker shade of purple with every passing minute.  "Does Niall?" I say simply motioning towards my eye. 

"Oh, Horan.  He is much worse off then I am of course. You really think he stood a chance against me in a tousle?" Louis laughs. His accent adding an almost sinister tone to it.  I feel a mortified look cross my face, but quickly resolve it before Louis can comment on it further. 

"You're an ass Louis Tomlinson"

"And you Alexia Hollaway are one of the most annoying people I have ever met. Tell your boyfriend to let me be, or maybe stop telling him whatever lies you are about me hurting your feelings." He stands up from the lab bench and its only then I notice the scabs on his knuckles, from what I can only assume was the fight with Niall. 

"Where are you going? We need to work on the project." I stammer. 

"I really can't stand to be in the same room as you right now, so say what you want but I think its best if I sit this one out." He say slinging his backpack back over his shoulder. 

"Whatever Louis" I say rolling my eyes. 

"Don't come crying to me when he reveals his true colors." says Louis, as he storms out of the room.  And for the first time since I met Louis Tomlinson, soccer extraordinaire, I feel like I may have gotten to him.  Even for just a second.


	18. Chapter 18

**Louis POV**

The yellowish hue surrounding my eye as I look in the mirror every morning serves as a constant reminder of the events that unfolded two weeks earlier. It had been two weeks since Niall Horan thought he could scare me and two weeks since I heard Alexia speak her mind. It had also been two weeks since she had asked questions no one had ever asked me before, and came the closest anyone had ever come to discovering my secret.

To say I had become removed over the course of the past two weeks would be an understatement, as it had been much more than that. After the tousle with Niall, coach made both of us sit out the next game, which was more than enough to piss me off. I could barely bring myself to look Alexia in the eye when we sat next to each other in lab. The fact that she could be so blatantly oblivious to the villain that was Niall Horan disgusted me, and the fact that I cared enough to be concerned with such a thing disgusted me as well.

Harry had recognized that something was up as well, and while I blamed it all on feeling behind on the team, and overwhelmed with classes, the truth was I felt like my life was spiraling out of control. Everything I thought I was happy with was turning into a nightmare, and I wasn't sure what I wanted anymore.

So how does one solve a quarter-life crisis? Like any good college student, there is only one solution. Good 'ol alcohol. And lucky for me I happened to be dating a girl whose weekends consisted of that and only that every time.

"Harry I'm headed out for the night, see ya later mate!" I yell across the room of Harry's apartment, grabbing my things to head out the door.

"Where are you going Lou?" He pops his head out of the kitchen, giving me a questioning look.

"I'm going out with Erica" I respond back.

"Are you sure about that mate?"

"100%" I say and walk out the door.

****************************************************

"Lou babe about time you come out" Erica nearly shrieks in that god-awful voice of hers. By the way she draws out her words and the slight wobbliness of her walk I can tell she's already have quite a bit to drink, as usual. She grabs my hand and drags me inside the crowded house hosting tonight's party.

I chug my drink as fast as I can, realizing I was not drunk enough to deal with Erica, or anyone for that matter in my present state. I scan the crowded room to see the guest list. Its the usual subjects, a lot of the cheerleaders, most of the soccer team and football team, a familiar blonde head I know to be Niall's without even trying. Not spotting any timid freshman lurking around, I realize that Alexia and crew must not be lurking around.

Erica pulls me out to the dance floor and I oblige joining the masses of sweaty bodies pulsing to the beat of the music. I rest my hands on her hips as we dance, trying to focus on just being there and trying to prevent my mind for wandering. This doesn't happen however, and my mind continues to wander.

"Lou-eehhhh" Erica whines, "what are you doing?"

"Dancing with you Erica, what does it look like"

"You are like a freaking zombie" She turns to face me. "Why are you never any fun"

I roll my eyes. I need a drink. Or maybe ten. "I'm going to get a drink" I sigh and walk towards the kitchen, leaving Erica to dance with whoever else she deemed unzombie like.

I pour myself a shot. The alcohol burns as it goes down my throat, but I don't care. I pour another. Then another. My brain becomes a little more fuzzy. I pour one and finish it off by grabbing myself another beer. As I stand up from the chair I was sitting on, I feel the alcohol rush through my veins. The world is moving slower now, the bass seeming to pulse only every few minutes instead of constantly. I drag myself through the crowded people, searching for the skinny blonde I called my girlfriend. I spot Niall as I walk past, dancing with some girl practically on top of him, having the time of his life-I'm too drunk to care at this point, and walk right on past.

Then I spot her, although it can't possibly be her as she's practically lip-locked with some guy. I take a few steps closer, nope that's definitely Erica.

"Erica!" I half yell as I get closer to her. She turns and looks at me and gives me some sort of sick drunken smile. She breaks apart from the guy and takes a wobbly step towards me.

"Louis, I have been looking all over for you."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm having fun. I found someone who isn't a zombie Louis and you know what? It's so much more fun. So I think we are done. " She says in a stern voice.

"What do you mean done?" my drunk self responds, the alcohol starting to affect me more with every passing minute.

"I mean I'm breaking up with you silly. I don't want you to be my boyfriend anymore" She says and turns to start dancing with that guy again.

"You can't do that" I say but my voice comes out much softer than intended. But I don't feel like fighting it. My body heads towards the kitchen, grabs the half empty bottle of vodka sitting on the table and takes a chug so long it feels as if my throat is on fire. I stumble my way out of the kitchen, but see Erica on the way towards the door.

"I was gonna break up with you anyway!" I yell towards her, but I doubt I'm loud enough for her to hear. The edges of my vision become blurrier and I walk myself towards the street, trying to find my phone in my pocket. I hit Harry's number in hopes that he will respond.

_Ring Ring Ring Ring_

_Hello you've reached Harry Styles leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can._

Damnit Harry. I try again voicemail. I try Leah. Voicemail. I throw my phone down in the grass in front of me. Erica broke up with me. I would lose my social status like that. Would she ruin my reputation? Would people be alerted to the person I used to be?

I grab my phone absent-mindedly. I guess I'd just have to call until someone picked up.

 

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Alexia POV**

The vibrations of my phone wake me from my deep slumber.  It was 1am, who was calling at this hour of the night?  I grab my phone and bring it to my head offering a groggy hello to the person on the other end.

"Let's work on our research project" the voice on the other end of the phone slurs, obviously heavily intoxicated. 

I pull my phone out from under my ear to see if the voice belongs to who I think it is. The name Louis Tomlinson pops up on the screen. 

"Louis?" I ask is a hushed tone, not wanting to wake up my slumbering roommate. 

"Alexiiaaaa c'mon I'm ready to work" he slurs again.  Man if I could get this kind of work ethic on a normal day. 

"Louis. Its 1 am, you're drunk, its not a good time to work on our project" I say sternly.  Slightly annoyed but slightly entertained by this encounter.  Why was he calling me?

I hear what sound like sobs come from the other end of the phone..was I dreaming?

"Don't be an arse, let's work on it. Come get me" A very distraught, drunk Louis responds. 

"Where are you?" I grab my keys from my purse and heading towards the door.  Louis Tomlinson didn't cry and I had a feeling something was very wrong.  Even though this went against every fiber of my being at the present moment, I knew I needed to find him before he got himself in trouble. 

"I don't know I'm just sitting out here.  I'm close to the soccer house I think....soccer...freaking.." I hear muffled noises which sound as if Louis is kicking something around. 

"I'll be there in five minutes." I say rolling my eyes as I walk to my car.  I have no idea what I'm even thinking going out in the middle of the night to rescue Louis, someone who clearly didn't deserve an ounce of my assistance.  I'm half tempted to text Niall and see if he knows anything, but decide considering the history between the two that maybe keeping this to myself would be the best option. Speaking of Niall, I hadn't heard from him all night... I knew he was going out with his friends and I didn't need to be the kind of girlfriend that obsessed over the location of her boyfriend every given second.  I decide to let the thought fade to the back of my mind and begin to scan the perimeter of the car for a sign of Louis.

I practically bring my car to a crawl as I near the road of houses.  Several are bustling with people, lawn sprawled with red solo cups, but no signs of Louis anywhere.  Then I spot a figure slumped against the porch of a nearby house.  As I near the house, I roll down my window. 

"Louis!" I yell out my window.  My eyes catch his and I watch him attempt to stand up.  Unsuccessfully, he practically trips on his on feet and is back on the ground again.  Well this was going to be interesting, I guess I would be getting out. 

I throw my car in park and open the door walking towards him. 

"Alexiaaaa!" Louis slurs.  "What are ya doinnnn here?" His drunken state only thickens his accent. 

"You called me Louis, now c'mon, let's get you home." I say and offer him a hand helping the very unstable man to his feet.  The stench of the alcohol on his breath nearly suffocates me when I get a whiff and we make our wobbly way to my car, me feeling like I'm practically dragging Louis beside me. 

"C'mon" I motion, trying to get him to get in my car.  When he takes a seat, I say a silent prayer that there will be no vomiting in my car and then head to the drivers seat. 

When I sit down and fasten my seatbelt Louis starts to laugh.  "What Louis" I say, not amused by the obnoxious state of my now passenger. 

He continues to laugh, obnoxiously.  "You thought I wanted to work on that stupid chemistry project didn't you" He continues to laugh. "Like I would ever voluntarily work on that shit"

Considering it was 1 am I was not in the mood to be harassed by Louis Tomlinson, including the drunk one.  Especially not the drunk one. 

"I thought nothing of the sort Louis, and if you are going to be as unappreciative as that I will drop you right back off on that curb" I say sternly.  Not about to take shit from Louis at this time of night. 

He stops laughing and grows serious.  "Please don't" I meet his blue eyes in mine.  The look red and terrified and for the first time I realize that he might have been crying.  "I don't have anyone else..." 

I don't say anything for a moment and take in the sight around me.  The usually strong-willed, arrogant, god-like persona that Louis gave off had been traded out for someone appearing timid, and unsure of himself.  And although a part of me wanted to simply scoff and take in the moment of weakness of this man who had been the source of so much torture over the course of the past few weeks, a deeper part of me couldn't help but feel bad for him.  How could someone who had everything seem so broken inside? How could someone who was constantly surrounded by attention be found alone on the side of a street on a Friday night?

"Erica broke up with me" Louis states and turns his face away from mine.  So he was all bent out of shape over that.  Shouldn't he be happy to be rid of her? I internalize the thoughts and start to drive the care, figuring I should practice the art of listening instead of jumping to conclusions.

"She broke up with me and now everything will go back to the way it was.  I will lose everything!" Louis practically yells. I can hear his heavy breathing beside me but keep my eyes towards the road as I make the turn back towards campus.  There's silence for a while.  I'm not sure how to respond to these outbursts, nor to the amount of information Louis is choosing to share with me at this given time. 

"Where do you live Louis?" I ask.

"I don't live anywhere.  I don't have anyplace to go. I don't have anyone." He says sadly.

"No seriously, where do you live so I can take you home?" I prod, wishing for once that I had Marie's gossip filled brain to figure out the answer myself. 

"I don't know. I don't have anywhere to go." drunk Louis repeats to me.  Well, Plan A was out of the question now.  I pull into a parking space and let us sit there for a moment, trying to process the best option for us to proceed with. 

"I never really liked her ya know, and Harry was always telling me how bad she was for me and how I could do better, but I never listened to him.  I was too scared to.  And now here I am exactly in the place I was trying to avoid.  I never really liked the way I was when I was with her, but she built my reputation up to what it is today, what if she takes that away from me, that's all I've got." His words become more distressed.  So Louis never wanted to be with Erica in the first place? Maybe he had some sense in him after all. And why would he care what Harry his chemistry tutor had to say about Erica...something about those two just didn't add up.  I could press on in Louis' vulnerable state, ask him the tough questions about why he was in the Styles' mansion that night, but I decide against it. 

"You have other things Louis.  You have your soccer skills, you have your teammates, you have a great tutor for chemistry..." my brain draws a blank on the other things that Louis has in his life.  How do you comfort someone who you know nothing about?

"Why are you with Niall, Alexia?" Louis blurts out and the look he gives me makes me think for a second that he is stone cold sober. 

I think for a moment, choosing my words carefully as to not piss off the man sitting next to me. "I like Niall, he's good to me and he makes me laugh.  I know you two don't get along but I'm the one dating him not you." I say to the drunk Louis.

"He flirts." Louis says.

"I know Louis, he's a very flirty guy.  How do you think I ended up with him in the first place?" I try to laugh, although my mind is running a million miles a minute knowing that Louis was probably not referring to Niall's flirtation with me. 

"Tonight he did. I saw it. He's a real arse."

"Okay, Louis thank you for letting me know" I say softly.  Still unsure why Louis had decided to share this tidbit of information with me.  I wanted to pass it off as Louis trying to get a rile out of me, knowing that Niall was a touchy subject.   And as much as I tried to play it off and reassure myself that this wasn't true, my boyfriend would never do such a thing, part of me suspected that Louis was telling the truth.  He'd been so honest about everything else tonight what good would it do him to tell a lie. 

"You are better than him you know.  Even I know you deserve more." He says softly. I'm taken aback at Louis words.  Since when did he decide what I deserved. And if anything if I deserved so much better why did he treat me like absolute shit every time we were together. 

"Why do you care so much about my relationship with Niall?" I ask him, figuring if now was as good a time as any to get the truth out of Louis.

"Listen Alexia. I'm in no state to lecture you but I'm his teammate.  I've seen him in ways you never have, and I know his history.  He's been with plenty of girls and I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Wow, I'm touched" I feign appreciation but still can't wrap my finger around why Louis feels the need to look after me like I'm some sort of child. Deciding that I've had enough of honesty hour with Louis for the night, I decide now is as good of time as any to figure out what to do with him for the night.  

"Let's get you to bed.  I'm surprised you haven't passed out already." I say, opening up my door and stepping out of the car.  Louis opens his door and wobbles to his feet, he's a little more stable than he was twenty minutes ago, but still in no shape to be walking around on his own. 

"C'mon" I say and grab him by the arm dragging him with me towards my dorm.  Marie might kill me, or love me, in the morning for this but the only logical thing I could think to do was house Louis in my room for the night. 

"Now when we get here we have to be really quiet.  People are sleeping and we can't have you causing any problems" I say in a stern tone.

"Ya don't have to tell me what to do" Louis says rather loudly, exactly the opposite of what I want him to do, I decide maybe the best way to handle this situation is by simply not talking to him until we have made it to my room.

We take the elevator up to the third floor and make our way down the hallway.  I grab my keys and jingle the lock and let Louis into my room, thankful Marie and I had taken a moment to clean this afternoon. 

"Okay, let's get you to bed" I whisper and Louis slowly obliges.  I motion towards my bed and Louis crawls in.  I wrap my blanket around his shoulders, thinking he will pass out any minute.  I'm wrong.

Louis sits up a little in bed so that he is directly at eye level with me.  My eyes lock with his.  "You know Alexia, I'm an arse to you sometimes."

I laugh a little "You mean all of the time".

"I know I give you a lot of shit, and I'm mean and don't do much work, but I don't hate you." His blue eyes glisten under the small amount of moonlight entering our window.  "I actually don't hate you at all. I'm a jerk to you because I think I actually really like you but I don't want to admit it." I don't say anything.   How do I respond to that? This wasn't the elementary school playground where the boys that teased you had a crush on you. This was real life and in my book, disrespect was no form in flattery.

Louis' face creeps closer to mine and I feel the warmth of his breath near mine.  For a moment, I think he might try to kiss me, our faces inches from each other. "Louis, I.." I start to say, knowing that I was not about to let this happen when we had just been talking about Niall. Louis interrupts me before I get it out. "Thank you for coming to get me, I'm a sloppy drunk" he says and pulls away, laying his head on the pillow. 

" You're welcome" I reply, grabbing a pillow and blanket from the side of the bed and laying down on the floor next to him. 

"Good night" I say but Louis doesn't respond as he is already fast asleep.  I try to close my eyes, but keep replaying the last few moments in my head.  His eyes locked with mine, like I was trapped in this gaze, the warmth of his breath, the way that for a moment he was going to kiss me and I didn't turn away.  For a moment, I wanted him to.  I push the thought to the back of my mind, and slowly drift to sleep.

 

 

 

 

 


	20. Chapter 20

**Louis POV**

I wake up in the early morning with a pounding headache.  Actually it was beyond pounding. It was one of those headaches where you feel like you are filling up like a bathtub just waiting to overflow.  The pressure literally erupting from every part of your head.  The effect of all the alcohol from the night before no doubt. I'd nursed many hangovers in my life, but none had left me with such lack of clarity as I had now.  I turn my head over on my pillow, praying that some relief will come and I can drift off into painless sleep once again. I have no such luck.

It isn't till I start to come to my senses that I realize I'm in an unfamiliar place.  The sheets I'm covering myself are hot pink, the bed unfamiliar, and the room in a much cleaner state than my own.  I roll over and see a sleeping figure on the floor. Through the sparse light of the early morning that travels through the tiny windows of the dorm room, I make out Alexia's face. Her lips are relaxed in a peaceful smile, and her skin is illuminated by the sunrise, giving her skin an almost angelic glow.  She looks so peaceful lying there, like she doesn't have a care in the world.  She looked dare I say, beautiful.

How did I get here? My mind is foggy and thoughts of last night come in and out of focus. I remember the party. I remember Erica dancing with a boy. I remember drinking shot after shot until I didn't remember anymore. I still don't understand how I ended up in Alexia's room. In her bed. They say drunk actions replicate sober thoughts, but calling Alexia was one sober thought that I didn't want to be brought forward. I reach for my phone quietly not daring to wake the sleeping girl next to me or her roommate for that matter. What had drunk me done? Had I let my feelings get get the best of me? Had I done something that had changed the way Alexia viewed me even more?

I push the emotional part of me out of my mind. This wasn't what I would usually do. I was supposed to be Louis Tomlinson. I was the star soccer player. I was the person all the girls wanted. I owed no one anything. But here I was hungover and trying to justify whether or not I owed the sleeping girl next to me some sign of appreciation. I start to think about my other interactions with Alexia and know that surely this would lead to yet another lecture about my behavior and about my life. I don't need that. Not with this pounding headache. Not after the night I have just had. 

I scan the room cautiously. I look for the door. It's not far from me and as long as I can manage to crawl over Alexia's limp and sleeping body, I should have no trouble making an escape.

I pause for a moment. Was this the right thing to do, sneaking out like I'd had some one night stand and never wanted to see the person again? I didn't know what had happened last night, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to know. I fear the worst and even though my gut tells me that leaving is exactly what Alexia would expect me to do, I know it's what I have to do. I'll have to thank her later.

I swing my foot out of the bed and creep across the floor silently, just now realizing that there is a sleeping roommate across the way. I silently turn the handle of the door and open it slowly. It only makes a small creak. I slip through the crack and make my way down the hallway.  I had to find Harry.  
  


**Alexia POV**

I wake up to the sound of shuffling. I don't have to open my eyes to know that its Louis, awakening from his drunken state.  I should have known better than to expect him to stick around, or to acknowledge the fact that he owed me a little gratitude considering I got out of my bed at 2am last night to rescue him.  Its when I hear the door slam behind him that I hear Marie's voice. 

"Alexia!" She nearly shouts at me.  I roll over on the floor to face her rolling my eyes slightly.  Of course she was awake and asking questions so early in the morning.  "What on earth was Louis Tomlinson doing in our room?! You have big questions to answer young lady." She half laughs as I sit up from the floor, which might I add was an extremely uncomfortable place to sleep. 

"Its a long story Marie." I say with a sigh, hoping maybe for once  I wouldn't have to repeat every detail of my night to my nosey roommate. 

"Lucky for you I have nothing else planned for my Saturday.  Spill." I groan put comply with her request. 

"So he called me last night, totally hammered and at first I was just going to ignore it, but he sounded super upset so I don't know what came over me but I thought well if I don't  go get him no one else is going to and gave in. "

"Because you like him.  That's why you went and got him." Marie interrupts.

"Marie.  I have a boyfriend, so no that's not why I went and got him." I say slightly irritated.  "Anyway, so I drive and find him sitting next to a house, pretty much unrecognizable.  He gets in my car and we start to drive and he kept fluctuating between being a huge ass to me and being super sincere and genuine, like it was literally like driving with Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. " Marie laughs at this comment. 

"Continue." She says with a smirk on her face.

" So we get back to campus and I ask him where he lives, and he's so intoxicated he can't even answer my question, even though like five minutes earlier he was lecturing me again about the bad decisions I was making by dating Niall and that Niall was off flirting with other girls last night. ..and"

"Well was he?" Marie interrupts.

"Was who?" I ask confused about who Marie is trying to ask about at this point.

"Was Niall flirting with other girls?" she asks with an eyebrow raised.  Not Marie too.

"I don't know, I wasn't there.  I highly doubt it Marie, with the history between those too I'm sure Louis was saying anything in his power to get under my skin.  That's a whole different story anyways. " I sigh.  I wasn't about to admit to Marie that hearing this once again combined with the fact that I hadn't heard anything from Niall in the past twenty-four hours had my brain running in circles.

"So he says he doesn't have anywhere else to go and I don't know what to do with him, like I don't know where he lives and I can't leave him outside all night so for some reason I decide to bring him back to our room for the night." My mind searches for some other alternative path that I should have taken last night but still comes up with a blank.  Maybe my actions last night weren't totally out of line.  

"And then we got here and I made him get in my bed and then right before he was going to pass out he said all this weird stuff about how he actually really liked me and that's why he was so mean to me and got really close to my face, and I thought for a moment he was going to kiss me but he didn't." Recalling the moment back to Marie still sends shivers across my spine. I can still picture the way his crystal blue eyes stared into mine and the feeling of his warm breath near my face. I block the memory from my mind as quickly as it appears.

"But you wanted him to kiss you" Marie says with that mischievous smirk on her face. 

"No..." I say but my voice waivers, unable to completely mask my emotions. 

"You did!" Marie practically screams.  "Admit it Alexia you wanted Louis Tomlinson to kiss you last night when he was drunk.  You are upset he didn't."  Her smug smile indicates to me that she wanted it to occur almost more than I seemed to want it to.

"Okay. Yes, sure in the moment I wanted him to.  I thought about what could have happened.  But Marie why? Why on Earth do I feel like I want to kiss the guy that's been nothing but a douche to me since the day that we met?" I give in and spill my internal monologue to my roommate. 

"Because I think that you like him.  You don't want to admit it, but there's some chemistry between the two of you.  You are both too proud to admit it."

She had a point.  Louis and I were complete opposites.  Fire and ice.  Dark and light. Noise and quiet.  But yet Louis brought out the sides of me that were buried deep within.  When I was with Louis I spoke my mind and stood up for myself.  And for some reason when Louis was with me, or at least drunk, he acted like he cared: something far different than his usual stigma.  I don't know if it was quite the sparks flying chemistry they portrayed in the movies, but Louis and I definitely reacted, whether it was volatile or not.  Maybe a part of me, deep deep inside of me, wanted to know more about this man.  I wanted to learn his secrets, the depths of his personality he didn't reveal to anyone.  I would be lying if I didn't say that Louis Tomlinson intrigued me.  But to go as far as liking him,  I wasn't so sure - I liked the glimpses of the real Louis that I saw, not the façade he played off for the entire university to see. But did I like him? Did we have chemistry?  I brush off Marie's comment.   

"You're such a hopeless romantic." I groan throwing my pillow to cover my face.  "But then why did he leave so early this morning, without saying thank you or anything?"

"Maybe he didn't want to wake you?" Marie suggests, but we both know that explanation was far from the truth. 

"The only reason you sneak out in the morning from someone else's room is when you don't want to speak of what happened the night before ever again.  Louis left because he doesn't want to acknowledge that the only person he had to pick his wasted-self up last night was me, and that's the truth."

"Maybe he'll text you later?" Marie softly suggests. 

"I think I'd rather he didn't" I say.  "I have Niall I shouldn't even be thinking about that jerk." I sigh grabbing my phone to located my boyfriend, but still thinking about whether or not Marie was right.   
  
  
  



	21. Chapter 21

**Louis POV**

"You look like absolute shit" Harry laughs with that dimply grin of his as he opens the door to his apartment and I step inside.  "Rough night huh?" he gives me slap on the back as I walk towards his kitchen.  I head for the cabinets, grabbing a glass and a bottle of aspirin.  I turn on the faucet and let the cold water run into my glass.  I take out a handful of pills and toss them back, flushing them down my throat with the cold water.  I needed something to cure the ridiculous hangover I was having.  

"You don't know the half of it" I finally respond, setting my glass on the coffee table and laying myself down on Harry's couch.  He takes a seat in the chair across from and for a second, I feel like I'm back in a psychiatrists office, spilling out my feelings to some stranger.  "I called you and you didn't answer" I say with slight irritation.

"Sorry mate, Leah and I went out last night and I just wasn't checking my phone.  You're obviously alive, so I guess you figured it out right?" Harry shoots me a grin.  Figured it out, if that's what you could call it, although my attempt at figuring it out had only made my life even more complicated. 

"I have some news for you that I'm sure you will be thrilled about" I chuckle, just waiting to see Harry's reaction.  Harry had been telling me from the day that I started dating Erica that it was a bad decision. He hated every fiber of her being and I wasn't sure if that was more of a hatred towards her personally or the person that I had become while I was with her.  The sad thing was, I was almost excited to tell him, as though a weight I had been lifted off of my shoulders.  This was a weight I didn't even realize I had, but now that it was gone it felt like I was free of some great burden. 

"Do spill" Harry says, grabbing a sip of coffee from the mug beside him. 

"Well, Erica broke up with me." I say and Harry gives a face of approval. 

"Took you long enough Tommo.  That's great news, the only thing that would have made it better would have been if you had been the one to break it off." He shakes his head.  "So finally you're free of that one . How does it feel?" Wow, we're jumping into psychiatry Harry. 

"Last night, not so great.  This morning, I feel somewhat free.  But I guess we'll have to see what kind of crazy rumors she spreads about me now that we are broken up." I sigh.  Erica wasn't the type of girl that broke up with you, accepted your differences and let you go on and live your seperate lives.  Erica was the type of person that wanted you to see how bad your life was without her, and make you think you were missing out on some incredible person. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about how people would think of me now.  Even though I'd done nothing wrong, I was terrified that she'd start some proposterous rumor about me. 

"Louis, you care too much about what people think" Harry sighs.  He never understood what it was like for me to make the transition from someone's whose life was a total mess into someone that people respected and admired.  Harry's life had always been simple, and he had always had it together.  "So am I going to get a glimpse of the Louis I know and love for a bit?" Harry asks with a smirk. He was such a cheeky lad, I sometimes wondered how we could stay friends for all these years despite how different we were.

"You're getting him right now aren't you?" I shrug, knowing its not quite the answer that Harry is looking for but the one that I'm willing to give. 

"So you're suffering from last night because of the break up obviously, how'd you make it home?" He continues to question me.  I should have known coming over would be like a therapy session. 

"So interesting thing...for some reason my highly intoxicated self decided to call my lab partner for a ride" I sigh, still unsure about what I was thinking in that moment. 

"Alexia?" Harry has a grin as wide as the ocean on his face.  I knew he would get a kick out of this choice, he was obsessed with Alexia for reasons I could not explain, maybe it was some weird bond they had over science stuff. 

"Yes." I roll my eyes slightly. 

"Louis, you know what they say about drunk actions..." Harry teases. 

"Harry how many times do I have to tell you its not like that.  I think I only called her because I knew she would answer when someone else didn't." I point a finger towards my unassuming friend, but know that what happened last night will not make him feel guilty in the least bit. 

"But she came and got you? Why on earth would she do that? She literally hates your guts." Harry exclaims.

I shrug.  "I know that's what I can't quite figure out, it blows my mind as much as it does yours."

"Maybe some part of her actually likes you, even with as much of a jerk you are to her." Harry suggests.  I throw the pillow from the couch at his face, with perfect aim.

"Maybe she thought that if she did that I'd help her with our chemistry project." I laugh.

"Louis, you should probably be doing that anyways mate, it is part of your grade. " Harry half scolds. 

"Hey mate, I'm doing just fine in the class right now, I'll pass that stupid class don't you worry. " I say.  I wasn't lying, I had passed the first test, not with flying colors but with a better grade than I had gotten the entire last semester.  I still might save myself from being forced to drop out of college yet. 

"She took you home?" Harry asks, focusing back at the subject in discussion.

"Well, here's where it gets a little foggy to be honest. I woke up in her bed."

Harry looks at me with pure shock mixed with disappointment.  "You didn't....."

"I woke up in her bed, NOT next to her in bed Harry, jeez stop jumping to conclusions.  She was sleeping on the floor."

Harry just laughs.  "Maybe you really do repulse her mate. You didn't say anything stupid did you?"

"I honestly don't remember.  Most of the night is blurry, I think I told her about Niall's behavior at the party and then...."

"And then what?" Harry asks, clearly amused by my storytelling.

"I vaguely remember wanting to kiss her.  I don't think I did though." I shudder at the thought.  Most of the night was fuzzy but I did remember a moment of staring into Alexia's green eyes.  She really did have pretty eyes.  Oh God I hope I hadn't done anything stupid like kiss her, Niall would have my arse burnt at the stake. 

"Louis. Louis." Harry simply shakes his head. 

"What did Louis do now?" I turn my head to see Leah walking towards us. 

"Well good morning beautiful" Harry says pulling his girlfriend toward him for a kiss. Their PDA made me sick, and somewhat jealous, but mostly just sick.

"Get a room!" I yell with a laugh.

"Funny you say that Louis, because I actually have a room and you're in it right now." Harry chuckles. "Darling, Louis here was just once again failing to admit that he has a little crush on his lab partner."

"For the millionth time, I find her extremely annoying..." I argue.

"That's not what drunk Louis said." Harry teases. "Well what did you say to her this morning?" Harry interrogates.

"I didn't say anything. I came right here."

"You snuck out" Leah says with a scolding look.  "Classy."

"She was sleeping, plus it wasn't like we were going to have a conversation or something.  I was very drunk last night, and I'm sure that I probably said a lot of things that I don't want to repeat.  It was just embarrassing really, and Alexia was the last person I wanted to talk to about it. "

"Well are you going to thank her at least?" Harry asks.  It was the kind of question that someone asks you when they are trying to give a not so subtle suggestion that this is something you should be doing.

"It doesn't appear you are giving me a choice in the matter."

"For God's sake Louis he's not saying to ask her out. All you owe her is a quick thank you. Drop your ego for five minutes and recognize the fact that this girl did something for you that you absolutely did not deserve." Leah lectures.

Man the two of them together were even worse. I obviously realized I was being an ass, but I always was to Alexia, and I wasn't sure I wanted to give her the impression that I was going soft. That would take all the fun out of lab.

"Okay, okay I get it. I'll tell her thank you when I see her in class on Monday." I give in to the demands of my best friend and his girlfriend. I suppose I should listen to the two of them from time to time considering they have their shit together and all.

"Not good enough Louis. At least send her a text. Don't you have your research to work on anyhow?" Harry says with a raised eyebrow. I never should have given him my syllabus, now he's monitoring my every move like a hawk.

"Fine. But I need a few hours to recover from this hangover." I sigh pulling out my phone from my pocket.

_Thanks for last night. Not sure if I told you. Want to meet up sometime this weekend to work on the research?_

I hit send before I can rethink anything.

"There sent. Happy?" I ask the two lovebirds with irritation.

"You'll realize it soon enough Louis" Harry says with a smirk. "Now should I leave you to sleep off that hangover?"

I give a nod and close my eyes praying that when I opened them again I would be headache free.


	22. Chapter 22

**Alexia POV**

The text from Louis comes out of nowhere. When I first see his name light up my screen, I feel my breath catch and my heart start to beat a little faster.  Then my brain kicks in, what happened last night with Louis was a fluke, I shouldn't be expecting any dramatic change in character traits anytime soon.  When I read it, I think I must be delusional, a thank you and an offer to help work on our project? I must be dreaming. Unless I was in an alternative universe, Louis Tomlinson would not offer to help work on our chemistry project- ever.

I decide not to answer right away.  One-because I was still recovering from the events of last night and desperately needed sometime to think and two-because if it took him this long to offer his participation in our group project, might as well make him wait a bit. 

"Hey Marie wanna go get some coffee?"

I immediately see her head pop up from the book it was nuzzled in on her desk. "Since when does a college student say no to caffeine?" She laughs.  "Just let me pack my backpack and I'll be ready in five". 

I too grab my backpack, shoving my chemistry book and notes in it, along with my reading for my psychology class.   I throw it over my shoulder and as always am amazed at how much a book can weigh. 

Marie and I walk to the campus coffee shop.  It was one of my favorite places to study, with cute round tables with the perfect view of the campus quad.  Although, I hadn't been on campus for long, I already could tell that fall was my favorite season, with the trees changing colors and leaving the view full of colors.  We set our stuff down at a table and head inside to order. 

The friendly face of Zayn greets me inside.  "Hey Alexia and Marie!"

We approach the counter and I peruse the menu for my caffeine fix.  "What can I get you?" Zayn asks.  It was strange to see him in the barista uniform instead of his usual scholarly apparel.  I wonder if his coffee orders come with any philosophical life advice. 

"I'll take a grande vanilla latte, skim milk" Marie states.

"And I think I'll do a venti dirty chai tea latte- with an extra shot of expresso" I say. 

"Rough night?" Zayn laughs at my addition of expresso to my order. 

"You don't even want to know.  Let's just say I played an Uber driver for the night.  Very entertaining, but not the best for my beauty sleep." Zayn chuckles and I know I'll have to fill him in on all the details next time I catch him in the cafeteria. 

"I'll get those ordered for you gals and have them out to you in a few minutes" he says with a soft smile.  Marie and I make our way to our table and I pull out the gigantic chemistry textbook I have to study from for my test later this week.  Oh the joys of being a science major. 

I pull my phone out and look at the text from Louis, contemplating how to respond.  It was no secret that I had been beyond stressed about the Chemistry project, especially considering we were drawing even nearer to midterms and I had yet to have outside of class assistance by my partner.  My partner. The events of last night still spiral through my mind, I know that nothing had happened between Louis and I, but everything suddenly felt different.  Part of me wondered if the arrogant, self-centered Louis was just a front for an inner more sincere Louis.  The Louis I had gotten a glimpse of last night through his drunken thoughts.  But why did I care whether Louis was putting up a front or not? I wasn't partners with him to be friends and I certainly wasn't romantically attracted to him. I had Niall.  _Then why did you want him to kiss you last night._ The voice inside my head questions.  I ignore it, knowing that obviously that thought had just been the result of me being rudely awoken from my beauty sleep.

"Who texted you?" Marie asks, interrupting my thoughts and snapping my mind back to reality.

"Uhhh Louis actually" I say.

"Well did he apologize for this morning? Did he say anything about last night?" She interrogates me further, fully invested in the events of my life. 

"Actually ya...he thanked me for last night and then asked if I wanted to work on the project tonight."

"Are you sure its Louis?" Marie laughs.

"I was thinking the exact same thing. Is he still drunk? It's like he's done a complete 180." I say.  I look at Marie who seems to have diverted her attention to something inside of the coffee shop. I want to turn around and see what she's staring out, but fear that turning around could cause an awkward encounter I wasn't prepared for. 

"Not to interrupt you but.." Marie starts slowly, "isn't that your boyfriend in the coffee shop?"

I glance around now to see the blonde tuff of Niall's hair at the counter ordering coffee.  Now that I think about it, I realize that I hadn't talked with him in nearly twenty-four hours.  Not that I was one of those girlfriends that went crazy if they hadn't texted their boyfriend in a few hours, but it was quite unusual for the two of us.  My mind flashes back to what Louis said last night, about Niall getting a little cozy with another girl.  I remember the several other things drunk Louis had told me, and decide that before I get worked up about something, maybe I should look towards the source. 

"I wonder what he's doing here" I accidently say out loud. 

"You didn't plan this?" Marie asks, obviously surprised by the fact that we would casually run into Niall.  I shake my head no. Niall catches my eye and smiles widely.  I can't help but smile back and he comes over towards our table. 

"Well look who it is" he says while leaning in to give me a kiss on the cheek. "How's it going darlin'?"

"Pretty good.  Just trying to get some studying in" I shrug.  "What have you been up to?"

"Just woke up not too long ago actually, figured I needed some coffee for this hangover"

"Did you have fun last night at least?" I ask, hoping that perhaps Niall will enlighten me on some of the drama. 

"Ye it was fun I think.  It's all a bit fuzzy to be honest.  A little drama to with Erica and Tommo, but when isn't there.  It would have been much more fun with you there though" he shoots me a smirk.  Niall had asked me to come to his house party for the past two weekends, but to be honest I was a little nervous to go without my wingman Marie, and I couldn't exactly leave her to third-wheel. 

"I'll think about it for next time" I say.  Marie gives me a look and I know she has her own opinion on the subject that I'm sure I'll hear about later. 

"It would be fun, I promise" Niall smiles with those gorgeous blue eyes of his. "Well, I should grab my coffee and get going, I gotta meet up with some friends." He gives me another peck on the cheek and runs off.

Marie looks at me with a raised eyebrow.  "You turned down hanging out with him last night?"

"I was tired.  And I wasn't sure I wanted to go alone." I sigh.

"You wouldn't be alone, you'd have Niall" Marie corrects.

"Remember last time we went to one of his parties?" I say thinking back to our last and only attempt at campus nightlife.  Marie rolls her eyes slightly.  "I can't go without you"

"Guess we will have to figure something out then" she suggests.

"Yes we will. But right now, I'm figuring out how to titrate this acidic solution."

"Wait what about Louis" Marie reminds me.  Crap, I had completely forgotten about responding to his text. 

"Ummmm, I guess I'll just tell him I can meet him tonight? I do really need to finish that project and I'm pretty curious as to what he has to say for himself about last night"

"Can I tag along?" Marie laughs as I text out my message to Louis. 

_Chem Lab at 6pm tonight.  See you there._

I guess I'd see which version of Louis awaited me later tonight. 

 

***************************************


	23. Chapter 23

**Louis POV**

I arrive at the Chemistry lab at 5:50, ten minutes early.  I give myself a mental pat on the back when I realize that I have actually beat Alexia here.  To be completely honest, I wasn't thrilled at the idea of having to work on this godforsaken chemistry project, and I also wasn't thrilled about the fact that Harry had told me to be on my best behavior.  I did, however, understand that to some degree I owed Alexia for picking me up last night, so I guess playing Mr. Nice Guy for a few hours wouldn't kill me.  

I pull out the giant rock of a textbook we have for the class and open it up to one of the chapters for the upcoming test.  I hadn't studied at all, and the test looming later this week was already causing me a little bit of concern.  I guess now that I didn't have Erica to worry about I could devote a little more time to my studies. 

I hear footsteps come through the door and look up to see Alexia walking in.  "Hey" I say looking towards her.

"Hi" she just says and sets down her backpack next to me, pulling out her stuff for chemistry.  "You are here early" she half mumbles and I can tell that she is just as surprised as I am that I'm in the chemistry lab at a designated meeting time, especially on a Saturday night. 

"Just figured we should get some work done, you know with midterms coming up and all" I say.  Wow did I really sound like a different person saying those words.  "Listen Alexia about last night..." I start to say.

"It's fine Louis." She says shortly, obviously not interested in hearing what I had to say. 

"Hey now I was just going to say thank you" The look on her face is incredulous, as if she can't believe the words have actually come out of my mouth.  I can't believe this load of crap is either.  But I did promise Harry, and he wasn't someone I was going to break a promise to. "I don't really remember much to be honest, but it was really nice of you to come pick me up."

There is a moment of silence, Alexia bites her lip and I can tell that she is mentally deliberating on whether or not she should say something.  "Did you and Erica really break up?" she asks timidly.

"What's it to you?" I say harshly, and then realize my tone.  This is exactly what Harry said I shouldn't do.  "I mean, what Hollaway are you looking to pounce?" She rolls her eyes at my comment. 

"I was just asking. Good to see that you haven't totally lost your sass" She half laughs.

"Yes, we really broke up" I say, avoiding eye contact with her for a moment. She doesn't say anything for a minute and we sit in silence, allowing me to think though my thoughts. 

"And are you okay with that? I mean last night you seemed pretty upset and I.." she stops herself suddenly, as if she was about to say something that she would regret. 

"Yes I'm okay with it. Actually I'm more than okay.  I feel like this whole time I was with Erica I had to fit in this mold.  I had to act like someone I wasn't and do things I didn't like myself for doing and oh my god hanging out with her friends was the absolute worst.  Like have you ever met Sophia? or her boyfriend Liam Payne? That guy is the kind of guy you don't want to piss off, like if I ran into him in a dark alley at night I don't know if I'd make it out alive."  Alexia starts to laugh, her eyes crinkling up in a smile.  She had a cute laugh, not too high pitched, not raspy, just one that was light and playful and made you want to smile along with her. 

"What's so funny?" I ask raising my eyebrows, wondering what I could have possibly just said that she would find so funny. 

"Liam Payne." she continues to giggle.  "My roommate is Sophia's sister and she's like totally obsessed with Liam.  She swears his some sweet innocent guy with just a few rough edges waiting to be smoothed out."

"Oh yes , the Coke girl" I smirk, reminiscing on the time I encountered the dynamic duo at the soccer party.  "I hate to break it to her, but I don't see him having some teddy bear soul hidden underneath, and believe me I've spent plenty of time with him."

"I'll let her know" Alexia smiles.

"What about Niall?" I ask, figuring our chat seemed to be running smoothly. 

"Not this again..." Alexia says with a groan "We were actually carrying on a polite conversation for once and you had to mess it all up by bringing Niall into it. Believe me you gave me your whole opinion last night."

"Okay, we won't talk about him then." I say with a sigh, figuring since I had managed to calm the storm so far it would be best not to take things further.  I have mentioned my opinion on Niall to Alexia several times, and I didn't figure bringing it up would change her mind.  I wasn't quite sure what I had mentioned to her last night, other than Niall's behavior at the party, but it hadn't seem to affect their relationship thus far. 

"Will you hear me out now when I say thank you?" I ask, looking into her sparkling green eyes.  She nods.  "I don't know why you picked me up last night, or why I called you in the first place in all honesty, but thank you.  I don't remember much of what was said or done, but considering you agreed to meet with me tonight must mean I haven't done anything too crazy. So ya, just know that when I'm drunk I have a tendency to not say the right things, so if I said anything stupid just forget it ever happened please" I sigh. 

"You're welcome Louis.  I would say anytime, but honestly, I'd prefer if we didn't have a second occurrence." she gives a small laugh.

"I'll try my best." I respond.

 

**Alexia POV**

Louis and I spend the next two hours working on our project.  I am pleasantly surprised with the amount of work he put in and how much I had enjoyed working on it together.  When Louis was being a complete ass he was actually quite funny and I had a feeling my abs were going to be sore tomorrow because of the amount of laughing I had done.  I actually hate to admit it, but he's not a total idiot when it comes to chemistry, and for once I think that he might actually be smarter than he plays off to be. 

I yawn as we approach the end of hour number two.  After barely getting any sleep last night, I know my focus is wearing thin and I decide that its probably time to call it a night. 

"So should we continue this later this week? Or maybe after the test?" I ask, subtly hinting that I was done working for the night"

"After the test sounds good with me, I've got a lot riding on it" Louis says.  I grab my notebook and book and start to shove it into my backpack.  I check my phone to see I have a missed call from Niall. 

"So after the test it is then" I say.  Louis slings his backpack on to his back and we start to walk out of the lab, side by side.  We stroll down the dark hallway, hearing only the sound of our own footsteps.  As we reach the door, Louis speaks again.

"I'm glad I asked to work on this.  Harry was right." He says.  Okay, this is like the fifth time he's mentioned talking to Harry.  Between Harry's comment at the soccer game, finding Louis in Harry's house and Louis's drunk comment about Harry, something was up. 

"Harry? He's more than just a tutor to you isn't he?" I say abruptly.  Why did I always feel the urge to blurt out what was on my mind when I was around Louis? It was as if he removed the filter from my mouth just by his presence. 

"I've had a good time tonight Alexia, let's not ruin it by asking questions that aren't any of your business" He responds quickly.  I take this not quite as a negative response, but decide since Louis gave me a pass on the Niall discussion for the night, I could give him a pass on the Harry one. 

We approach the door to the building, and Louis holds it open for me as I walk out into the crisp fall air.  "Goodnight Alexia" He says with that stupid, gorgeous smile of his. 

"Goodnight Louis" I say back and head towards my room.  The Louis I saw tonight had seemed so genuine, and I can't help but repeat his comments about being with Erica making him act like someone he wasn't in my head.  Would this breakup mean that the complete jerk I had known him as would be gone? I felt like we connected tonight on a level we hadn't before, and I wasn't sure what this would mean for our future encounters.  Maybe he was turning over a new leaf? ' _Or maybe he was forced to be nice to you'_ my internal monologue repeats back to me.  I choose to ignore that thought for the time being and bask in the appreciation that for once I hadn't done our chemistry assignment alone. 

It's only as a get a few yards away from him and clear my mind that I realize that my heart is beating out of my chest and I'm grinning like a little kid on Christmas.  Whatever Louis Tomlinson was doing to me has got to stop. 

 

 


	24. Chapter 24

**Alexia POV**

"Why do you think people pretend to be someone they aren't?" I ask out loud as I set down my plate and take a seat in the booth next to Marie. Zayn slides in across from me and raises his eyebrow.

"Not the usual start to our dinner conversations." He says with a laugh.  "But you know I'm always game for some deep conversations. 

"That's why she asked you Zayn" Marie chimes in.  "You didn't see her looking in my direction now did you?" I give Marie a look of sympathy. Marie and Zayn had become quite close after I had introduced them to other and although the two were polar opposites, they were the perfect balance of friends for me.

"What's got you being all philosophical?" Zayn asks and then takes a bite of his sandwich.  It had become an evening ritual, the three of us eating dinner together, but our conversations rarely revolved about topics like the meaning of life.

"Louis Tomlinson." Marie says smugly.

"Marie!" I nudge her with my elbow and look at the people in the surrounding tables to make sure no one had heard us.  No one appears to be paying any attention to the gossip at our table.  "Declare it to the whole cafeteria why don't you?"

Marie just laughs.  "Calm down Alexia, no one can hear us, and even if they could they don't know the context of the situation. 

"Does it have something to do with the other night?" Zayn asks questioning.  It's then I remember that I had mentioned having an eventful night to him at the coffee shop but had yet to fill him in. 

"Well that and now last night ."

"What happened last night?" Marie almost shrills. I give her a mortified look and she quiets down to a whisper.  "Sorry, what happened last night? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You went home for the evening and just got back, it wasn't super pressing." I say trying to get Marie to back off me for a moment.  That girl did not like being left out of the loop. 

"Please explain." Zayn says with a confused look.  

"He slept in our room the other night." Marie states in, thankfully, a much more hushed tone.  I watch as Zayn's jaw literally drops. I roll my eyes.  Marie needed to work on her storytelling abilities.  Like a lot. 

"Because I picked him up from a party and he was drunk and didn't know where he lived." The words fly out of my mouth at a million miles an hour as I try to explain to Zayn exactly why this situation had occurred in the first place. 

"Why did you pick him up?" Zayn asks.  The question I've asked myself a million times over the past forty-eight hours. 

"He didn't have anyone else" I say, but it comes out as more of a question than an answer. 

"And he tried to kiss her." Marie interrupts as if this piece of information is vital to Zayn's comprehension of the story. 

"What about Niall?" Zayn asks looking totally lost. 

"We are good. Marie's exaggerating a little bit." Although I loved Zayn to death and considered him one of my closest friends at college, I knew that this was one of those times when a little girl drama could be left out.  Some of the details would only confuse the poor guy even more than he already was.

"Anyway, now that Zayn is all caught up, can you please tell us what happened last night?" Marie asks.  I give Zayn a questioning look and he nods his head with a smile, telling me its okay to go on.

"Well, you were there when he asked me to work on the project.  Which hasn't happened a single time since we started it."

"I still can't believe you got stuck with him, Alexia.  That was so messed up." Zayn adds in.

"I know.  But I show up, and he is already there.  He's never there on time. He's always late to class, even the very first day. Then he was like super nice and helpful.  We got so much done and it was actually kind of fun.  He also was super apologetic about the other night and kept saying how he felt like was pretending to be someone he wasn't and...."

I look up to see Marie and Zayn giving me wide-eyed looks.  "I was rambling wasn't I?" I say with a laugh. 

"Just a bit" Zayn says with a smile.  "It's okay, I think I got all of it. "

"And I don't know it was just like he was a completely different person, like I was hallucinating the whole thing or something. And then I kept thinking about him.  Like all of last night and all of today. I just can't figure it out.  Is he really just some super nice guy hidden under all this other stuff and now that he is not with Erica he can be himself? Is it just a nice guy act?"

"I've said it before, I'll say it again.  You like him Alexia." Marie says.

"Marie, I've told you..."

"Alexia, listen.  You are someone that always has it together.  You are one of the most genuine, self-motivated and reasonable people that I have ever met.  You are not the type of girl that has a boyfriend but is infatuated with someone else.  I get it.  You are having some kind of inner turmoil about what you want and you find Louis so intriguing but Niall is safe and the right thing to do.  Because let's be honest, if this was any other lab partner you wouldn't care what kind of person they were you would just care about getting the homework done."

I take a minute to process Marie's words.  She's got my mind figured out perfectly and she had a point.  Why did I care so much about who Louis was as a person anyway?

"Marie's  right.  Why do you find Louis so intriguing Alexia? Why do you care?" Zayn asks.

"That's an excellent question." I say not quite sure of what my answer would be.  "I guess its just that he is so complex, and that I see glimpses of like this totally different personality than everyone else sees.  Plus, he definitely has a lot of secrets."

"Here's what I think Alexia.  I think that you need to figure out what you want.  I think you need to think it through.  If all you are going to do is think about Louis, then you need to break up with Niall.  It is not fair to him to have you only giving him half your energy when your mind is in another place and it is not fair to you to waste your time with someone that you aren't interested in.  And if Marie's right, and you really do like Louis then you also need to consider whether that's something you want to get involved with.  I've never seen a different side of him than the cocky jerk that comes to lab late everyday, so there's no guarantee that he's some sweet gentleman underneath.  You say he's got a lot of secrets.  Are those things that you really want to get involved with? Once you know something, its very hard to unknow it.  Secrets are secrets for a reason, and before you go snooping for answers be very sure that you are ready for the secret to come to light.  And if what you say is true and you don't like Louis and its just curiosity, let it go Alexia.  Do the work and be done.  Enjoy your time with Niall.  Don't waste your time thinking about someone that may not be worth it." Zayn says. 

Nothing like escalating the internal conflict even more.  I take a sip of my water taking it all in.  I guess I did have some thinking to do.  They were both right, this was eating me up inside and I needed to sort it out.  One way or another. 

"So to answer that philosophical question of yours" Zayn starts.  "I think people pretend to be someone they are not for a lot of reasons.  Maybe they want to hide who they really are, maybe they know that acting a certain way can get them what they want, or maybe they just don't know who they really are.  But when it comes to Louis Tomlinson and which of these is his reason, or whether he really is pretending to be someone else, I don't have an answer.  That's something that is going to take a lot of work to figure out.  So my question to you, Alexia, is...is it worth all of that work?"


	25. Chapter 25

**Alexia POV**

After my conversation with Zayn and Marie, I knew I had a lot of thinking to do.  I also knew that avoiding the conflict at hand would do me no good in figuring out the emotional turmoil I had apparently gotten myself into.  So when Niall asks me if I want to have a movie night at his place.  I happily oblige. 

I knock on the door to his apartment promptly at seven.  He opens it almost immediately, coming to the door in a pair of grey sweats and a tight white t-shirt.  "Hey there stranger" Niall says, flashing that charming smile of his at me.  He opens his arms up to embrace me and I rest my head on his chest.  It did feel good to be in his arms, I couldn't discount that. 

"I'm so glad you came over" he says as I follow him into the living room.  "I feel like we haven't hung out in ages."

"It has been way too long" I agree with him.  "Thanks for inviting me over"

"Of course. I figure there's no better way to relax than a movie night, especially with how stressful your week is going to be." Niall gives me a soft smile.

"You remembered I had a test?" I say. Slightly impressed that he had managed to keep track of my school schedule on top of his own.  I had a hard enough time remembering when I even had tests, I couldn't imagine also keeping track of his. 

"You've only mentioned it about a hundred times now.  Plus what good would I be as a boyfriend if I don't pay attention to what's stressing you out?"

"Come here" I say. Pulling Niall down onto the couch next to me and pressing my lips against his.  When I pull away I look into his bright blue eyes, so sincere and caring.  "How did I get so lucky?" I whisper softly. 

"I could say the same about you" Niall says back.  The moment passes and Niall rises up from the couch.  "I'm just gonna grab us some popcorn, want to turn on Netflix and find us a movie?" I nod and grab the remote from the end table next to me, flicking on the TV.  The red loading screen of Netflix faces me and I begin my quest for a movie for us to watch. 

I smell the distinct scent of popcorn wafting into the living room a few minutes later and soon after Niall appears with a nearly overflowing bowl of buttery goodness and sets it on the coffee table in front of us.  "So what did you find for us?" he asks as he sits down on the couch beside me and rests one arm on the couch behind me. 

"Well I was thinking maybe a comedy? I could use a good laugh." I say.

Niall nods his head in agreement. "I definitely love to laugh."

"What about Neighbors? I've been dying to see it" I suggest, although I wasn't about to admit to Niall it was more for the fact that I could stare at Zac Efron for two hours.

"Sounds good to me" Niall says as he scoots his body closer to mine and I press play on the movie.  Eventually I snuggle my head onto the crook between his head and his shoulder, like a ledge made just for me.  We watch the movie in this position.  My body resting against Niall's, feeling safe and warm and content.  We laugh together, until my stomach is so sore that I swear I've developed a six-pack. 

When the movie finishes two hours later, I find myself not wanting to move.  I wanted to lay there all night, nestled in Niall's warm chest, with his chin on my head.  "I don't wanna move" I mumble.

"Then don't" Niall says softly, turning his head to look into my eyes.  The look on his face was giving me goosebumps.  It was the kind of look you always see in the romance movies.  The one where you can tell that the boy is just dying to say how he feels and how he looks at the girl like she is the most beautiful thing to walk the earth.  And the girl feels like she might faint because how could someone look at her like that? How could someone think she was so precious? You know, that kind of feeling.  "You really mean a lot to me Alexia, I just want you to know that." he says softly.  I nod, words unable to escape my lips.  But they don't need to. 

Niall leans in and kisses me.  Soft at first, with his lips gently brushing against mine.  Then with more urgency, as he grabs hold of my cheek pulling me closer to him.  I try to let my mind go, to only concentrate on the man in front of me.  A man who seemed to very much appreciate who I was and who I wanted to become.  A man who made me happy and gave me what I deserved. 

Then why in this moment, with my lips against Niall's did Louis's words come to my mind? Why did I start to think of the night in the car, the way Louis so passionately argued that Niall was no good for me? Why did I suddenly start to question whether the lips that were now locked on my own had been on some other woman a few days earlier? 

Zayn had said I needed to think.  And he was right.  But thinking was getting me nowhere.  Thinking was leading me around and around in circles with no end.  Thinking was giving me an infinite number of what ifs and buts and second guesses.  What I needed were answers and the only way I was going to get them was by asking the only person that had them. 

I pull away from Niall and look him in the eyes.  Here goes nothing. 

"Niall, I need to ask you something.  I need to ask you something and I need you to be honest with me." He gives me a confused look for a moment, and then nods.  "Of course I'll be honest with you, Alexia. What is it?"

"I heard some things.  About you the other night.  And I don't think they are true.  In fact, I'm sure they aren't but I just need to know because its been bugging me and I've been going crazy.  And you should know that I'm not trying to be crazy or call you untrustworthy or anything like that but I just....I just have to know." I blurt out. 

"Alexia." Niall says taking his hands into mine.  "Take a deep breath."

I inhale and exhale deeply, letting my body relax for a moment.  "It's not true. Alexia, I would never..." I feel a sigh of relief wash over me.  What was I ever thinking believing Louis over Niall? What had Louis ever done to earn my trust in the first place, even if he had played Mr. Nice Guy for a night?

"I think I know where this is coming from, and like I've said before.  The guy can't be trusted.  He's just out to get me and he'll do anything to try and discredit me, to try and keep me from being happy." Niall says and I sense some anger in his voice. 

"Why is Louis out to get you?" I ask softly.  "What happened between the two of you anyway?"

"It's a long story Alexia, you probably don't want to hear it.." he begins. 

"It's okay, I want to.  Please tell me." I say, giving Niall the best version of puppy dog eyes I can do.  I was going to get to the bottom of this feud once and for all. 

"Louis and I met freshman year, at soccer camp.  We instantly hit it off, became best friends.   But then classes started, and I met a girl.  I really liked her...but so did Louis. She chose him over me. And then he broke her heart. And for that I've never forgiven him. " Niall says sadly,  I can see the pain in his face, as if he is reliving the moment.  "And not to mention he also was always the soccer star and let it get to his head.  After that we were never more than teammates, always competing for the same things."

"I'm so sorry Niall." I say squeezing his hand in mine.  "I had no idea."

"It's okay Alexia, I have you.  And he's not about to take you from me."  I give him a soft smile.  Can he see the look of guilt on my face? I feel like even just thinking about Louis has been betraying Niall, and after all that Niall has been through.....

"Thank you for an amazing night Niall." I say, after glancing at my phone and realizing it was far later than I had expected.  "I should probably get going though, I do have class tomorrow." I stand up from the couch and grab my purse. 

"Always being studious" Niall smirks.  He walks me to his door. 

"Thank you for coming over Alexia." He says and gives me a soft kiss. 

"Anytime" I say with a smile as I head out the door.  "I'll talk to you later"

As I leave Niall's apartment, I stop for a moment, processing the information I had just learned.  Niall had been so sincere, almost broken.  And it made sense, I could totally see Louis being that guy that would take some girl from someone else only to break her heart.  That was the Louis I always saw...well, apart from recently.  Was drunk Louis just continuing the fight he always had against Niall? I understood the feud now; two bold, confident men who had wanted the same thing.  But what one earth would Louis have to gain from telling me about Niall? _Niall's reputation, your respect for him._ My inner voice says.  But Louis had seemed so protective of me recently, it was almost as if I was seeing a whole other side of him.  Maybe he had a perfectly good reason for doing what he did? _And you did want him to kiss you._ The voice returns.

And here I was.  At the crossroads, faced with the choice between two very different people.  This was something that had to be resolved.  It was one way or another, because the back and forth was going to drive me insane. 

I take a deep breath.  The two faces flash before my eyes.  Niall. Louis. I think back to Zayn's words, to Marie's, to everything that had happened to me during my time at college so far. 

And then my mind had cleared.  I knew what I had to do. 

 


	26. Chapter 26

**Alexia POV**

"Hey there how do you think the test went?" Louis says as he slides into the lab bench beside me. He was on time again, the third time this week, and I wasn't quite sure what I thought of this new version of Louis.

"I think it was fine, got a little tripped up on that last problem though." I say flatly. Since when did Louis and I have conversations about our test?

"Ah yes, that was a tricky one wasn't it. Glad it went well for you." Louis smiles at me. I roll my eyes. Here we go again with the sarcasm. 

"Can we just focus on the task today Louis? I have a lot going on tonight and it would be great if we were done with lab a little bit early."  I say, startled by my own directness. 

Louis looks at me, slightly taken aback.  He nods and we continue working on our calculations.  It's quiet for awhile, with us only speaking to each other when absolutely necessary.  I'd love to admit that the peace and quiet was much needed, but it had the complete opposite effect on me, making my brain process my every action. 

"So are you coming to the soccer game this weekend?" Louis asks, breaking the silence.  His voice sounds almost hopeful, as if my presence at the game would somehow make his day a little bit better. 

"I think Niall wanted me to.  I will be there." I say.  I think back to the last time I was at a soccer game, watching Niall and Louis out on the field.  I never would have guessed how complicated my relationships between the teammates would become. 

"Cool." Louis says and I can tell that answer made him happy. But why? This was not what I needed right now.  I had made up my mind.  I had made a promise to myself to stay focused and to not let distractions and uncertainties get in the way; and I intended to keep that promise. 

"Going to Niall's fan for the day then huh?" Louis continues.  I knew that now was the time if there ever was one. 

"Can we just stick to the project Louis? You don't have to make small talk with me, or ask me about my relationship because let's be honest-we both know that doesn't turn out well.  We are lab partners, nothing more so if you have something to talk about that involves the subject of Chemistry I'm game, but everything else is out." My words come out sharp, and I almost feel the sting of them on my own tongue as they escape.  But it had to be said.  I was standing firmly on my decision and I wasn't letting Louis Tomlinson and his stupid accent do anything to persuade me otherwise. 

"I'm sorry Alexia I just thought..." Louis starts.  I give him an irritated look and he seems to get the hint  because he turns his head back into his lab notebook.

Now an awkward silence falls over us.  Soon we finish up our lab and pack our things.  "See you" I say as I make a beeline towards the door, not wanting to be tempted by any further conversations with Louis.  I'm halfway out the door when I hear footsteps approaching me.  Quickly. 

I turn to see Louis almost jogging towards me.  "Alexia wait." He shouts, almost with desperation.  I stop and turn to look at him.  He stands ten feet apart from me and our eyes meet.

"I think I know why you are doing this Alexia, and just so you know...."

"I'm making a mistake, ya I know Louis, you've told me a million times." I say irritated that he would have the nerve to once again remind me of all my doubts.  I turn to walk towards the door again.

"Actually I was going to say, just so you know I was just trying to stop acting like such an arse for once...nothing more." I fight every urge I have to turn around and look at him again.  I resist.  That didn't deserve my response.  I move on, walking away from the building.  I was walking away from Louis's constant criticism, his spitefulness, his ability to annoy every cell in my body at the same time.  Then why did it feel like I was walking away from edge of the unknown.  Why did it feel like I was making a wrong choice?

 

**Louis POV**

"Actually I was going to say, just so you know I was just trying to stop acting like such an arse for once....nothing more." The last words catch on the edge of my tongue and I know I'm lying.  It doesn't seem to phase Alexia though.  She doesn't even bother to turn around.  She doesn't even look back. 

I had to admit I was taken aback by her comment today.  We were starting to get along for once-as improbable as that seemed.  Dare I say I was beginning to enjoy the time I spent with her in Chemistry lab. 

But today she had seem so distant.  Withdrawn.  Almost as if she was holding herself back.  I know this feeling.  I knew it far too well.  The feeling when you are trying with all your might not to give in to an emotion.  The feeling when you resist every chance of giving in to something.  Some attraction, some feeling, some desire.  It was hard.  It was painful.  It had been something I had now that I realize it, been doing for so many weeks now that I had barely realized I was doing it. 

But I was a newly single man, and my doors had been opened.  I had decided that for once in my life I would take Harry's advice, I would listen to someone that had it all together.  And much to my disbelief, I had enjoyed this more free form of living.  I didn't have to act like a jerk constantly to avoid showing my true colors.  I didn't have to bury my thoughts deep within my brain.  I was acting on these things

Okay-maybe I wasn't quite to the point of action.  But realization is the first step to a solution right? It had become apparent to me that on some level, I did enjoy Alexia's company, not like in a 'I'm head heels for her' kind of way, but more in a 'Maybe she's not that bad and I should give her a shot' kind of way. So when she so harshly suggested that we should backtrack on any progress we seemed to have made over the past few weeks, I'd being lying to myself if it didn't sting a little. 

I didn't know what was going on with her.  Everything was going fine and then it wasn't.  I'd said the right things, been the gentlemen Harry had practically threatened me to be and this is what I get in return?  Basically an invitation to go back to acting like she didn't exist.  That we both hated being paired with each other and that I was the worst thing to ever happen to her academic career.

I want to fight this too.  I want to tell her that if she's doing this for Niall she's choosing wrong.  But what proof do I have? What good is my word against his?

And so for once in my life I choose to not resist.  If this is what life's throwing my way, I'll take it.  If Alexia wants a lab partner, that's what she'll get.  That's all she'll get.

 

 

 


	27. Chapter 27

**Alexia POV**

The sun was out, the air was warm and it was the perfect day for a soccer game. I dragged Marie along again, much to her dismay, convincing her there were only a few good weekends left before the cold would start to creep in. 

We take our seat on the cold hard bleachers ten minutes to the start of the game.  Im wearing the Jersey Niall gave me with Horan spelled proudly across my back. Marie told me countless times before we left for the game that it reminded her too much of a high school- where the football players give there girlfriends their jersey for the game, but I thought it was a cute gesture. Plus, what better way to show the world that I was very much in the mode of Niall. And no British asshole was going to interfere with that.

The players run out on the field and a spot Niall's blonde head bobbing around on the field.  Soon everyone stands for the national anthem and then the introduction of the players begins. 

"And now to introduce our starters." The deep voice of the announcer billows overhead.

"The leading scorer so far this season...starting at number 28. Looouuuuuuisssss Tomlinson!" The crowd goes crazy and Louis runs out onto the center of the field.  Well, the crowd cheers with the exception of me.  Marie slows down her clapping when she glances over and sees that I am very much not cheering for Louis' entrance. 

She leans her head to my ear and whispers. "Oh so we aren't even cheering for him now"

I give her a look of disgust and she stops clapping.  Soon the crowd settles back down and the announcer starts again. "And starting at number nine.....Nialllllllllll Horrrannn."

I stand on my feet and scream at the top of my lungs.  Marie gives me a suspicious look, was I trying a little too hard to be the supportive girlfriend, maybe, but I might as well act the part while I was at it. 

As Niall runs to the center of the field he turns and faces the crowd.  Our eyes meet and I see a wide smile form on his face.  He then turns and joins Louis in the center of the field.  The announcer finishes announcing the rest of the team and the game begins. 

At halftime the boys are behind two to zero, with Louis not having scored a single goal.  "What's going on with Tomlinson today?" We overhear two older men, probably dedicated alumni,  discussing as we walk towards the concession stand.  "I don't know but he needs to get his act together.  He's missed three shots so far."

"Has it really been that many?" Marie asks with an eyebrow raised after the men are out of earshot. 

"I haven't been paying attention to be honest." I lie.  How could I not notice that Louis had been playing badly? I didn't have to be a soccer enthusiast to notice that.  But I was being a warm, fuzzy supportive girlfriend. And supportive girlfriends didn't pay attention or care about how other members of the team, who they may or may not have shared a moment with and chosen to leave behind, were playing.  They didn't even acknowledge their existence. 

All that mattered was Niall.  And with the way Louis was playing maybe for once Niall could step out of his shadow and score a goal.  That was what I was thinking about, the opportunities the man I was here supporting now had because a certain Englishman was playing like he was back in elementary school.

We wait in line at the concession stand.  Marie buys a pretzel and I get us a bag of popcorn to munch on for the remainder of the game. 

"Alexia!" I turn around to see Lea's warm face behind me, with Harry not far into the distance. 

"Lea and Harry its good to see you guys.  What are you guys doing here?" I ask.

"We're here to watch the game of course.  Not going so well though it seems." Leah shrugs. 

"You didn't notice anything weird with Louis recently did you Alexia? Like in the past few days?" Harry asks with a concerned look on his face. 

"Nothing out of the ordinary" I shrug.  Well, nothing out of the ordinary except that I basically told Louis that I wanted us to go back to being the lab partners that hated each other.  Nothing out of the ordinary except for the fact that I chose to completely erase any progress that Louis and I had made with being friendly to each other. 

"Hmm, he just seems so off today, he never plays like this.  I mean, I've never seen him play like this." Harry adds on the last part of the sentence as an afterthought, as though what he had said originallly was revealing a little too much.  Was Harry trying to imply that something had upset Louis and that's why he was playing so badly? Was this a result of what I said to him the other night?

"Hmm yep I don't know" I say with a smile. "It was nice to see you guys." I say with a smile and Marie and I walk back to our seats. 

"Okay Marie, am I the only one that thinks that's super suspicious." I ask when we take our seats and the game resumes.

"Think what is super suspicious" She asks giving me a look that tells me she's not quite following my train of thought. 

"The whole Louis and Harry thing. Like why would Harry come to the soccer game?"

"Am I allowed to answer this or does this count in the 'We won't speak another word about Louis Tomlinson unless its to complain about his academic attributes'." Marie says with a laugh.

"That rule is currently on hold while we discuss this topic." I say sternly.

"Well then, maybe Harry came to the soccer game because I don't know he's a college student and likes socceer and wanted something to do on this beautiful day?" Marie says snidly.  Not the kind of answer I was looking for.

"Then why did he ask if something had went on with Louis.  He seemed to care an awful lot about Louis's performance for someone who was just hear enjoying the game." I press on.

"You heard those guys in front of us earlier, everyone's talking about why Louis is doing so badly.  He just happens to know that you and Louis have a bit of a history.  You are sooo overthinking this." She laughs.  

So obviously Marie wasn't going to indulge in my conspiracy theories at the moment.  "There's no way he's just a tutor" I mutter under my breath.  Something was going on here, something more than was being let on. And I was determined to figure out what it was. 

We look up at the clock and realize that there are only two minutes left in the game.  We are tied now two to two. With a minute left, Niall breaks lose of his defender, he weaves in an out of the players.  He shoots...he scores. 

The crowd erupts into a roar and I find myself jumping up and down.  "We won! We won!" I shriek. 

As the game comes to an end, the players run up and throw Niall onto their shoulders.  Celebrating him for his winning shot.   Well, all the players besides Louis- who I watch sulk off the field and into the locker room.  Serves him right, acting like he's all invincible or something. 

"C'mon let's go down there" Marie says, and I notice a crowd of people making their way onto the field to congratulate the team.  We push our way through the crowds of people to find Niall's blonde hair. 

It takes me a moment to find him, but then I spot him hugging a girl with long blonde-hair in the distance.  "See you later Sierra" I hear him say as she turns to walk away.  He makes eye contact with me and I run towards him.

"Congratulations! You did so great!" I say running into his arms.  Niall picks me up and spins me in his arms. 

"That's only because I had my lucky charm here supporting me." He says with a smile and gives me a soft kiss.  "So are you going to come celebrate with us tonight?" He asks. 

Marie gives me an eyebrow raise. 

Remembering that whole "supportive girlfriend mantra" I had adopted I smile.  "You know what.  I think we will be.  This is definitely a night for some celebration."


	28. Chapter 28

**Alexia POV**

"What are we doing again?" Zayn groans as he lays on the floor of Marie and I's room.

"For the thousandth time Zayn, we are going to Niall's for a celebration of the soccer game.  Alexia's boo thing scored the winning goal." Marie responds back sassily. 

"I know that.  But why are the two of us going again." He sighs, throwing the water bottle in his hands up in the air once again. 

"Because that is what good friends do.  Plus, we can't let Alexia venture the world of college athletes alone." I laugh at Marie's comment. 

"I want you both to know I'm only coming for the people watching." Zayn says with a laugh. 

"Understood." I reply with a giggle.  I did feel a little bad for asking Zayn to come along, but Marie insisted that in case I get too caught up with Niall to give her attention, she didn't want to be stranded alone at a party she technically wasn't invited to. 

"How do I look?" I turn around to the two of them with a little twirl, letting them get a good look at my outfit.  I had decided to venture out a bit, putting on a shirt with a deep vneck that I'm sure my mother would most definitely not approve of if she saw it.

"Sexxxyyyy" Marie hollers and my cheeks flush. "Niall won't be able to keep his eyes off of you."

"It looks nice Alexia." Zayn says softly obviously embarrassed at the way this conversation was heading. I spray my hair with hairspray before glancing in the mirror for a final look.

"Okay now let's go" I say hoping to stop Marie before she scared Zayn off too much.

Niall's apartment was about a five minute walk from our dorm. However, it felt much longer in the high heeled booties I had chosen to wear for the evening. I was definitely going to regret that later.

"So who is going to be at this celebration?" Zayn asks awkwardly. To be fair we hadn't given him much info before dragging him along for our evening of socializing, poor guy.

"The soccer team. Their friends..."

"Do you think Liam will be there?" Marie asks with the excitement of a five year old headed to the amusement park.

"Possibly. I don't know." I chuckle back.

"Louis Tomlinson will be there I'm sure." Zayn says. Marie shoots him a death glare.

"What did I say something wrong?" Zayn asks very confused. I suppose he had been quite out of the loop.

"We don't talk about him." Marie whispers with exaggeration cupping her hand to direct her voice away from me.

"I made my decision Zayn. I'm a free bird." I state proudly sticking my arms out to the side. If only my mind felt as free as I liked to pretend it was.

"Glad you came to a compromise." Zayn says with a laugh and drops the subject.

As we near Niall's apartment I can already hear the vibration of the bass, it echos off the surrounding buildings and seems to act as a beacon for tired weary college students looking for an excuse to avoid their studies for the night. People are walking towards it in all directions.

I can tell my the face Zayn makes as we enter the door that he was unprepared for the scene in front of us. The smell of the beer and sweat alone as you step inside the apartment was staggering, and it was hard to believe this was the same place where Niall and I had spent a relaxing night in just a few days earlier.

"Welcome!!!!" Some obnoxious soccer player yells in our direction. Zayn shoots me a 'do we know him' look and I shake my head no in response.

"Do you know where Niall is?" I ask our welcoming party.

"Oh Sierra isn't it?" the guy asks. I give him a puzzled look.

"Alexia." I state back.

"Oh ya. Duh." The guy responds slapping himself upside the head in the process. "He's in the kitchen." He points behind him.

"Thank you!" I offer a pleasant smile and my entourage and I head towards the kitchen.

I hear Niall's chuckle before I see him, sat up on the makeshift bar with a tall glass of beer in his hand. I slide in next to him.

"Hey there MVP." I say in my best attempt at flirting. I have to say it sounded much more seductive in my head than leaving my mouth, but hey, at least I tried.

"Hey baby." Niall says sliding his arm around my hip. He pulls me my body in to him. "Two shots for us please." Niall says to the makeshift bartender. I open my mouth to tell him that I wouldn't be drinking tonight, but close it before the words get out.  You only live once right, and this WAS a special occasion.  Why not let loose for once and celebrate a bit?

Marie raises an eyebrow at me as the bartender sets the glass in front of Niall and I, but I just shrug it off.  "Marie do you want one?" Niall asks, finally noticing that I hadn't shown up unaccompanied. 

"I'm good." Marie smiles at him.  Niall gives her a polite nod. 

"Well what do you say we start of this celebration?" Niall says, lifting his glass to cling into mine.  We tip our heads back together. My throat burns as the liquid flows down my throat, and I almost can't drink it all at once.  The face I make must tell everything, because Niall starts to laugh after he sees my face. 

"A bit of a newbie are you my dear." He giggles.  "Don't worry by the end of the night, you'll be throwing them back like its your job."

I give Niall a smile, already beginning to feel a bit of a rush from the drink.

"Let's do one more" I say with a smile. Niall looks thrilled by my answer, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

"You heard her man. One more." Niall bolts out loudly. The bartender pours us another round.

**Louis POV**

I didn't even want to go to this stupid party. My game had been bad. No an absolute disaster. It was a miracle I didn't lose my title of Team Captain and spot on the team right then and there.

"Lou what happened today?" Harry had asked me earlier when I arrived at his apartment dragging what felt like pure darkness in a cloud behind me.

"I don't know." I mumbled. But I did know. My mind hadn't been in the game.

A game mentality is something that I had trained myself to do from day one. No matter what was going on in my life, no matter how much other crap I had to worry about I had never let my emotions get in the way of the game. And I had been through some pretty tough stuff.

I had mastered the art of blocking out the outside world. Of making the field and that ball the only thing in focus. There wasn't a thing that could phase me. Or so I thought.

"Did something happen I don't know about? Because I asked Alexia if she had...." Harry starts.

"You what?" I almost yell. Crap, there was that emotion I'd been bagging up.

"I asked Alexia if she had noticed anything." Harry continues with caution. "Louis what's gotten into you?"

"Why did you ask her of all people?" I mutter. Harry's face lights up like he's just made the connection and I know he knows exactly what's gotten me all out of wack.

"I see" he just says softly.

"I don't do this Harry. I don't let girls get me all turned out of wack. And I most definitely don't let girls cost me my soccer career by being a distraction. " I sigh.

I didn't even know why I was so distracted by Alexia, but for some reason her practically ending all terms of a friendship threw me for a loop. People didn't do that to me, especially not people I had begun to like...as much as I hated to admit it.  Something about seeing her there at the game, knowing she was there to support that liar, just had me fuming. I'd like to think if it had been anyone else besides Niall, this wouldn't be such a stab in the chest.  But then again, I didn't like getting my ego bruised, no matter who it was with.  And I couldn't get her out of my head, I couldn't stop thinking about why all of a sudden she had just gone cold. After we truly had started to get on with one another.  And so we nearly lost the game. I nearly lost the game for us because all I could think about was some girl in the stands instead of the ball on the field. 

To make matters worse Niall of all people had scored the winning goal.

I didn't want to go to this stupid party. I didn't want to have to listen to the congratulations that usually were reserved for me to be given to Niall over and over again. It was a slap in my face. I didn't want to listen to any backlash about my performance of the day. 

But I knew I didn't really have a choice. After all what's that saying about keeping up with appearances? I know not showing up would only make me worse then appearing in my wounded state.  I had already lost my girlfriend, had been shunned by a girl I was starting to develop feelings for and I wasn't about to lose my role as team captain on top of that.  If that meant suffering through some ridiculous party full of rowdy soccer players, I guess so be it. 

I grab my jacket and phone off the end table.  "So you decided to go?" Harry asks as I stand up to leave. 

"Guess I better keep up the act while I can." I say with a shrug. 

"Don't let it get to you Lou" Harry  says with a soft smile. 

"A little late for that I think. I'll be fine." I shrug as I walk through the door.  Although I'm not quite sure I've convinced myself that I won't let anything else get to me.  It's not like she would be there or anything.

 


	29. Chapter 29

**Alexia POV**

The world is becoming a little more blurry now, the pounding music almost muted and the people surrounding me move in slow motion.  It is almost as if I have entered a dream sequence.  

"Let's go dance!" Niall exclaims pulling me out of my chair and towards the crowd of people.  I nearly trip over my own feet.  Soon we are immersed in the sweat-filled crowd of drunk college students.   My body is pressed against Nialls due to the close proximity, not that I'm complaining. As I begin to move to the beat of the music, I realize the usual stiffness of my ballet training has loosened, and I can begin to sway my hips. I dance chest to chest with Niall for a while, then turn and let his hands guide my hips. I am having the time of my life and can't even remember why I had hesitations coming here in the first place.

"Come up to my room?" Niall slurs into my ear. I turn to face him, some sense kicking in even under the spell of intoxication.

"Niall I don't think that would be a good idea right now.."

"Please" Niall gives me pleading eyes. I don't flinch. I knew where this can lead and I also knew it wasn't a decision I wanted to make without one hundred percent clarity.

"Not tonight Niall, let's just dance" I say pulling him closer to my chest once again.

Drunk Niall doesn't look too pleased with me. "Let's go get a drink"

I nod and Niall leads me back to the makeshift bar. We take another shot and I notice that this time it doesn't burn on the way down. I must be getting better just like Niall said. 

"Get her something to drink for a while" Niall says. The guy tending the bar nods and Niall stands on his feet to leave.

"Where are you going?" I ask noticing my words were a bit more drawn out.

"Just going to celebrate with the lads for a bit darling. You just have some fun."

I smile. Niall was so sweet. He just wanted me to have a good night. He wanted me to have fun. I feel so alive, like I am invincible and as I stand drink and hand I realize that I haven't seen Marie and Zayn for a while.

I scan the room for them, and spot them hanging out in a corner near the edge of the kitchen. I stand up, but my leg collapses for a moment and I have to grab on to the counter to balance myself. That was a close one.

"Marrieeeee. Zaynnnn!" I squeal and run towards them nearly tackling Marie to the ground. Marie cracks a smile. "Where did you guys go?"

"We've been right here the whole time." Zayn says with a laugh. "You're the one that ran off on us."

"I was just with Niall" I say with the loudest and most obnoxious giggle to ever leave my mouth.

"Let's go dance!!" I squeal turning around in a circle with my drink in hand and then grabbing onto Marie and pulling her onto the dance floor. Zayn follows close behind.

I let the music take over, moving my body to the rhythm.  I barely have a sense of what I'm doing until I glance over at the face Marie is making.  She looks like she is both shocked and about to burst into laughter at the same time. 

"Didn't know that you could dance like that Alexia" Marie says with a laugh. 

"It's fun!" I say, grabbing onto Zayn's hands and pulling him towards me.  He looks rather uncomfortable but I keep going.  I feel like I'm on Cloud 9.  I'm carefree, invincible and completely at ease. 

We dance for a while, and I even pull Zayn in for a few. 

"Aren't you so glad that you came" I giggle to Zayn.  He shoots back an awkward smile

"Ya sure Alexia"

"Marie I need to pee,  come with me?" I blurt out. 

"We'll be right back" She says to Zayn.  He nods and we make our way through the crowd.

Its only when we start walking that I notice how unsteady I am on my feet.  I start walking and run right into someone as we head to the bathroom.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry" Marie says, linking my arm in hers and guiding me towards the bathroom.  We push our way through the crowd, but not before I nearly fall on my face.

"Get that girl a glass of water Marie" We hear a deep voice from beside us.  I turn to meet the eyes of none other than Liam Payne.  I can practically feel Marie's pulse quicken through her link in my arm. 

"Okay" She nods quickly and pulls me towards the bathroom.  She pushes me in and shuts the door behind us.

"Liam just talked to me." She says out of breath.  I can see in her face she's about to hyperventilate. 

"So talk to him! He obviously thinks you look really pretty tonight" I say with confidence. Everything seemed like a good idea tonight.  It was an adventure, a time for having fun and letting loose.

"I'm not going to talk to my sister's boyfriend Alexia, I know you are a little drunk and think that's a good idea, but I have a clear mind and can see what a totally horrible idea that is." Marie plays herself as sane, but I know inside she wishes she had the guts to do what I am suggesting.

"Fine." I pout.  Maybe I'd just have to tell Liam myself. 

"I'll go get you a glass of water,  you go pee." Marie says closing the door behind her. 

My head starts to spin a little bit as I stand up from the toilet. I place my hands on the porcelain sink in front of me to steady myself. Regaining my balance, I peer into the reflection that stares back at me. I barely recognize the girl in the mirror. She's confident, carefree and bold. Almost like a better version of myself, or at least a more fun version. I fluff up my hair and smile.  

If I was having this fun tonight, didn't Marie deserve to have some fun too. I decide that all I need to do is find Liam. He at least owed her a dance or something.

I open the door and make my way down the hallway towards the kitchen. I barely know where I'm going, just stumbling my way through the crowd of people.

I look for Liam, he's nowhere to be seen but I do see barstools up ahead.

"Another one?" The guy behind the counter smiles at me holding a glass in the air.

I nod my head.  He pours me another shot and I throw it back without even thinking. 

"I'm here celebrating my boyfriend tonight." I slur to the guy behind the counter who probably cares less. "I'm just being a good girl friend you know..but man is this fun"

He sets a glass down in front of me and I take a sip, my tongue now unable to distinguish alcohol from any other liquid.

"Thank ya" I say attempting to stand, my drink spills a little in the process and I find myself starting to uncontrollably giggle.

I think I spot Liam ahead and try to make my way to that side of the room, sipping my drink slowly. 

"There you are!" I hear Marie yell, she grabs my shoulder and I spill a little more of my drink on the ground.

I burst into laughter.  "Look I made a mess"

Concern spreads across Marie's face.  "Where did you get that?" She says taking the glass away from me.

I pout.  "Marie I'm thirsty. I need my drink." She hands me a different glass-water.

"Here take this instead." I oblige and take a sip.

"I'm totally fine Marie I don't need water." I laugh. That's when I catch the strong tall figure of Liam Payne in the corner of my eye.

"There he is!" I exclaim.

"There who is?" Marie asks, but she's too late, I'm already rushing towards Liam.

"Liammmm" I shout grabbing on to his arm. He gives me a strange look, as I'm not sure if we have ever officially met.

"Doesn't Marie look so pretty tonight?" I say with a smile, showing off my beautiful friend who has arrived just in the brink of time to turn a shade of tomato red.

Liam laughs amused.  "She does" he says his voice husky. There's silence for a moment, and I think we are all in shock at what was just said. I smile to myself, knowing I somewhat succeeded in my mission.

"Let's go dance." Marie says grabbing my hand and pulling me away from the situation before I have a chance to say anything else.

"Sorry!" She yells behind us at Liam who is standing with the biggest smirk in the world. "What have you done Alexia" Marie mutters under her breath when we are out of earshot.  

"Didn't you hear him.  Just because your too chicken to say something to him doesn't mean I am.  Aren't you glad I did." I say.  Marie smiles, I knew deep down she was thanking me.  Liam had just made her semester.

"Who are you and what did you do to my roommate?" She says with a laugh.

"I'm just having fun Marie, let's live a little!" I say and pull my friend onto the dance floor once again.    
  
  
  


**Louis POV**

I arrive to see the typical scene. Pounding music, flashing lights, the smell of sweat and the sight of red solo cups scattered across the floor.

I'm almost positive I step over some remnants of vomit as I walk through the door.

"TOMMO!!!" Jordan shouts as I enter the door. I give him the obligatory bro hug getting a whiff of his beer soaked body.

"How bout that game man? A little rough but we still got it!"

"Yea man, just an off day today" I say with a sigh.

"We all got him. Get yourself a drink, the party's just starting." I give Jordan a smile worthy of a Hollywood actor. My insides, however, are screaming at me to make my appearance and get out of here as soon as I can, I wasn't in the mood to deal with these drunk Niall worshipers for long.

I make my way back towards the bar, catching a glimpse of Niall dancing in the crowd, beer in hand. I hope he was enjoying his moment, because one thing was for certain- he wouldn't be having another one any time soon.

Adam, our go-to bartender pours me a cold one and I sit at the bar surveying the crowd. It's quite the scene to observe from the outside, lads trying their hardest to chat up girls, obnoxious dance moves and people that looked as if they needed to be carried out on a stretcher.

The Louis of a few months ago would have eagerly took this opportunity to clear his mind with a few drinks, let the alcohol enter his system and wipe his problems away.  But the Louis of now knew better. 

I knew what might happen if I let myself go numb, what I might say. And I was smart enough not to dig myself into a deeper hole, especially with Niall.

I take another sip, looking out onto the dance floor. I smirk forms across my face as I see a girl, dancing as if she is in some kind of strip club.  The look on her mortified friends face leads me to believe that this girl is wasted.

But wait, the friend looks exactly like someone I know. I stare for a moment. That was Alexia's roommate, which means...

No way. But as she turns I see her face clearly. Brown hair cascading down her back, bright smile lighting up the room.

I'm starting to believe that someone is plotting all of this just for the pleasure of my torture. The exact person I didn't want to see here. The exact person that was the reason I didn't want to be here, was dancing a few yards away from me. I must have done something to deserve such bad karma.

I try to get my mind away from the girl that seems to have taken it over recently. Chatting to the guy next to me about the game, our undefeated record and our next match-up.  It gets my mind off of things, at least for a little while.  That is until I someone slides into the seat beside me. 

"A shot for me and my lab partner" she slurs and I turn my head to meet Alexia's green eyes with my own.  Adam follows her request and sets down a glass of hard liquor in front of each of us.  I throw it back like its old habit, which it is, and am shocked when Alexia does the same.  I had expected her to choke.  

"Didn't expect you to be so good at this?" I say to her.  From the looks of it, she wasn't going to remember much of this in the morning, so I might as well be a little entertained.  

"Niall taught me." She says with a smile.  "Have you seen him?" She leans her head against her arm on the counter, but nearly falls into me in the process.  Okay, on second thought maybe accepting her drink was a bad idea.  

"I haven't.  Where did Marie go?" I ask, knowing that her friend couldn't be far behind.  

"Don't know." She says looking at me with a dazed look.  "Let's find her." I say standing to my feet.  I knew if Niall caught me talking to his girlfriend it wouldn't be good, and I knew that Alexia probably wouldn't want to be talking to me either if it wasn't for the alcohol raging through her system. 

Alexia stands to her knees but wobbles and I find myself reaching out an arm to catch her before she falls.  She regains her balance in a moment and giggles.  

"Thanks Lou".  Hearing my nickname roll off of her tongue causes my breath to catch for a moment, but then I roll my eyes, spotting Marie in the distance. I walk Alexia towards her carefully.  

"Oh there she is" Marie says with a sigh of relief when we appear. "We thought you ran off on us again." 

"I found Louis!" Alexia squeals in excitement.  Marie laughs.

"That you did Alexia".  I see the guy standing next to Marie roll his eyes.  I recognize him from my Chemistry class, he must have been one of Alexia's friends that she dragged along.  

Alexia starts to dance again and I see Marie sigh, obviously not sure what to do next with her highly intoxicated friend.  I feel bad for the poor girl, I doubt this is how she expected to spend her night.  She was probably dragged here, and I knew that feeling all too well.  

I sigh.  "Make her sit down over there, I'll grab her a glass of water".  I motion to the couch in the corner and Marie nods.  

I go to the sink, grabbing a glass from the cupboard.  As the water runs, my mind races.  What was I doing? Alexia didn't deserve a minute of my attention all things considered, and here I was fetching her wasted self a glass of water.  What was I doing to myself?

I walk back to the couch.  Alexia is now laying against Zayn, and the look on her face appears like she's about to pass out.  I hand Marie the glass of water, and she holds it up to Alexia's mouth.  

"Drink" she says. 

"I don't need water" Alexia laughs.  

"Yes you do, drink" Marie says sternly.  Alexia slowly takes the cup and begins to sip.  I turn my back and make my move to walk away.  _Walk away Louis, you've done your good deed for the night._

"Louis" Marie shouts out before I can make my escape.  "What do I do with her? How long til this wares off?" She looks utterly clueless.  Like a deer in the headlights.

"How much has she had to drink?" I ask.

"I....I'm not sure..I tried to cut her off but she was taking shots with Niall earlier and now she's been acting like a crazy person"

I look at the girl slumped on the couch sipping her water.  She seems oblivious to the world around her, and I doubt she'll remember any of the night in the morning. Normally my mentality was to stay strong and power through.  But I knew Alexia, and I knew that this would kill her in the morning: physically and mentally.

 "She shouldn't have anything else. You should take her home."


	30. Chapter 30

**Louis POV**

Walk away. Walk away. I repeat the words I know I need to hear over and over as I make my way away from Marie and Alexia. I had told Marie to take her home. I had gotten her a glass of water. I had done, for my purposes anyways, my good deed for the night. Now it was time to leave this godforsaken party. One thing was for certain, you couldn't last long unless you were drunk.

I make my way towards the door slowly, knowing full on that I should leave. After all, I needed to keep my mind clear if I wanted to redeem myself at the next game. 

I can't help but turn around to check on Marie and Zayn as I approach the door. The scene is quite comical. The pair had stood their poor drunken friend up, but barely.  As Marie tried to walk her towards the door, Alexia slumped over, resulting in Marie literally dragging her friend through the crowd. She was struggling I could tell, and I knew she definitely hadn't signed up for this when she had agreed to come tonight. That was for certain.

I know that this should be my cue to leave. That I should walk back to my room, call it a night and leave Alexia and her drunken escapades an entertaining memory. But my body stops me in my tracks.

Don't do it, don't do it. I try to get my common sense to take over. What was I do getting involved in this mess? But I can't help it, it's like my mind is taken over by some different human. I walk over to the struggling Marie and grab hold of Alexia.

"I'll go get my car" Zayn says, obviously looking for a way to escape the awful environment of drunk college athletes.

"Here. I'll help you get her home." Marie looks at me in shock, as if she barely knows who I am, which honestly at this point I feel the same way.  What was I doing getting myself involved in a situation like this again, with a girl that had made it explicitly clear that she wanted nothing to do with me.  She doesn't argue with me though, and I can see the relief come across her face as I help to hold up her struggling friend.

Alexia begins to sway beside me, and I throw her arm around my neck for stability.  She seems totally out of it, and I doubt she even know who she's hanging over lifelessly at this point.

"I think I should tell Niall that we are headed out" Marie says.  I want to tell her that we should just go, that he probably could care less considering I haven't seen him within a hundred feet of Alexia since I arrived over an hour ago, but I keep my mouth shut.  That was one comment that was better left unsaid.  

"I'll just hang out over here. I'm not getting involved in that mess." I say. Marie gives me a nod.  "Do you want me to hang out with her?" I say tipping my head towards Alexia.  

Marie looks at her friend for a moment than back at me, as if she's pondering the idea.  "I think I'll take her with me, ya know in case he needs to see it for himself.  Just don't go too far in case I need help." 

I nod and retreat into a corner near the door.  

"Have you seen him?" Marie asks, turning back towards me. 

"Not since I first got here.  You'll have to ask around." I shrug.  Marie shoots me a smile and begins to walk towards the crowd, Alexia stumbling along beside her.

**Marie POV**

"Have you seen Niall?" I ask a guy standing near the front door who looked like he might have a clue as too what was going on.  He gives me a confused glance, and I realize he probably can't hear me over the blaring music.  

"NIALL HORAN" I yell.  He shoots me a smile in recognition.  

"Upstairs, second door on the right" He points to the staircase in front of us. I give him a nod of thanks and then make my way towards the stairs, dragging Alexia along with me.  

"Niall?" Alexia slurs.  What a night this had turned into.  

"We are going to find him right now" I say.  My friend smiles, her eyes filled with joy.

"I love him so much." She mumbles.  I sigh. I really hope Alexia didn't say that to Niall's face or I'd be calming her down from a freakout in the morning. Is it bad that at this point I just wanted her to pass out and wake up with no recollection of this in the morning?

"C'mon" I say cautiously dragging my friend up the stairs. It felt like I was dragging a giant boulder along with me.

We reach the top of the stairs and I set Alexia down on the couch on the side of the hallway. Second door on the right. I wonder if this is Niall's bedroom. I really hope he isn't sleeping, because that could get awkward.

I knock. Once. Twice.

No answer. I decide I might as well check if anyone is in there. I creak the door open slowly.

"Niall?"

"Oh my god." I nearly jump at the sight of Niall laying on top of another girl liplocked.

He looks up at me with shock. I wasn't who he was expecting.

"Marie....I" I see the fear in his eyes as he stutters. "I can explain"

"I'm taking Alexia home. She's way too drunk to be here at the moment and honestly thank god." I almost scream. I feel my blood boiling. How could he do this to her? She had spent so much time worrying about hurting him just by talking to Louis and this is how he treats her in return..like yesterday's trash.

"Please don't say anything Marie..it's not what it looks like" he pleads with me, voice shaky.

"Oh it's exactly what it looks like Niall. It's you finding yourself without the most amazing girl in this world. We're leaving"

Niall starts to speak but I tune him out, turning my back to him and stomping out the door.

"Let's go Alexia" I say my sleeping friend waking up from her short nap.

I had to tell her. She deserved to know. But now? Would she even remember in the morning? Would she react even worse than she already was bound to?

**Louis POV**

"Let's go. Now." Marie growls, I barely recognize her voice and instantly know something is wrong.

"What's going on?" I ask as we exit the house.  I can practically feel the heat radiating off of her body.

"I don't know if I should say it in front of" she tips her head towards Alexia.

This wasn't good.

"Here" I slowly help Alexia to the curb and set her down. I grab Marie's arm and pull her out of Alexia's earshot.

"What happened?"

"It's Niall. He...he" she struggles with the words. But I already know what they will be when they come out.

"He was with another girl." She blurts out.

"That asshole. I'm gonna kill him. Let me take care of it" I clench my fist with rage.  Hadn't I warned Alexia time and time again that he was no good. But she didn't believe me, why would she believe me. And here we are exactly where I knew we would be, but had hoped we wouldn't. It was deja vu, happening all over again.

I want to hold it against her.  She should have listened to my warnings.  But all I can feel right now is anger towards Niall.  How could he rip to shred the heart of someone like Alexia? Someone so innocent and sweet.  This was going to devastate  her, this was going to change her.  I knew how it felt to have your heartbroken like this, and it wasn't something you came back from.

"Louis don't" Marie grabs onto my arm and looks me deep into the eyes.

"She wouldn't want that. You know she wouldn't" I sigh, running my fingers through my hair.

"Does she know? Did she see them?" I ask. Regardless of her blood alcohol level, something like that was enough to ruin a person. But then again maybe that would have been better, if she had seen it with her own eyes maybe she would finally believe me when I told her Niall was no good. 

"No." Marie replies solemnly. "I should tell her right? She needs to know." I feel the conflict in her voice, an internal battle I've become quite familiar with myself.  

"You need to tell her, yes" I say with a sigh.  "But its up to you to decide whether its tonight or tomorrow."

"I don't want to keep anything from her, I know she'd hate that, but I also know she isn't in the right mindset to compute that kind of information-who knows how she would react" Marie sighs.  I know what I would do, but it wasn't my decision to make.

Marie looks over at her friend sitting on the curb, slumped over clutching her stomach, about to pass out.  She pauses for a moment.

"We'll wait for tomorrow.  I think she'll understand why I kept it from her in the morning.  Plus I have you to back me up." 

"Hey now..don't bring me into this." I say with a smirk.  If Alexia didn't remember I think from this night it would be better, I know she would cringe at the thought of me helping her home.  

"You know the way Alexia describes you, I'd think you were the worst human being to walk the planet.  But now you know compared to Niall and all, I don't think you're as bad as she makes you out to be." Marie says with a smile.

"Thanks, I think?" 

"You're welcome" Marie says.  "Now where is Zayn?" She glances at her phone impatiently.  

"Let's keep walking, we will meet up with him eventually" I say, pulling up Alexia and slinging her arm around my shoulders once again.  She's even more out of it than she was earlier.

"My stomach hurts" she moans.  Great, the girl was gonna get sick. Marie looks at me with fear.

"I can't watch this" She says and turns the other way.  

I let go of Alexia in just enough time for her to bend over and vomit all over the ground. I grab her hair and pull it behind her just as she hurls once again.  And again purging her body of the poison she's been consuming over the past few hours.  

We stand for a few minutes and then she seems to collect herself, wiping her mouth with her sleeve.

"Zayn will be here in like two minutes" Marie says with a look of disgust.  She was obviously someone that couldn't handle a little vomit.  

"Zayn's my friend" Alexia mumbles, and I laugh.

"Yes, yes he is"

"Okay there he is" Marie exclaims with excitement, I can tell she is ready to get out of here.

Zayn gets out of the car and comes over to help load in Alexia.  "I got it mate" I say, carefully lifting her and setting her in the car. Zayn gives Marie a questioning look, and I'm sure he's wondering why I am even here. 

"He's okay, he's helping out.  God knows we don't know what to do with a drunk friend" Marie says.  I give her a soft nod.  

I pile in the backseat with Alexia and we sit in silence.  Alexia begins to nod off to sleep, and soon she's passed out against the passenger's window.  When we pull up to the dorm, no one quite knows what to do.

"I'll carry her up if you want" I offer.  Zayn and Marie just nod.  I pick up Alexia's limp body, her long hair falling over my arm.  She looked so peaceful, so beautiful and I knew this was the closest I would ever get to holding her in my arms.  

Climbing the stairs, I realize I should have enlisted in Zayn's help, but Marie already sent him on his way, profusely apologizing for the night's events.  I also hear her ask for his advice about the Niall situation, but I'm already out of earshot before I hear his answer.  

As we enter their dorm room, I lay Alexia on her bed and pull her blanket over her.  She was going to be in for a rude awakening in the morning and I didn't envy her for the world.  

"Thank you" Marie says as she crashes her body down on the bed.  "I've never really had to handle a situation like that before and..."

"I understand, you're all newbies at this" I say with a laugh.  "Just consider it returning the favor." I think back to the night not long ago when I was the one passed out on the bed, not prepared for the hangover and regrets I would have in the morning. 

I make my way towards the door, catching one last glance at the sleeping girl that had gotten so deep into my head.

"Wait" Marie says suddenly, her face filled with nerves. "Could you maybe...could you stay here for when she wakes up in the morning? I can't really deal with puke and I don't really know how to take care of a drunk and she's really bad..and.."

"If you're sure she'd be okay with it" I say retreating back towards the futon in the corner of their room.

"She doesn't have to know.  And anyway, unlike Alexia, I'm not oblivious enough to realize that you actually want to help her out. "

I send Marie a smile and lay down on their futon.  If Marie only knew what this night had done to me.  


	31. Chapter 31

Alexia POV

I wake up to hushed whispers.  At first I am unable to understand what they are saying because my head is spinning, but as I focus in the words become clearer.

"Can't we wait one more day, what could it hurt? Maybe she'll remember it all any way"A female voice says in a hushed tone.

I grimace, trying to get the pounding headache to go away before I open my eyes. The voices weren't helping, echoing through my head like waves pounding my insides over and over again.

"We have to tell her, you can't keep something like this from her it's not fair" A male voice now with a heavy accent. Was I dreaming this up now? Only one way to find out.

"Tell me what" I say loudly. The voices stop, I hear the male one curse under his breath.

There is only silence.

"Tell me what?" I groan, head pulsing. I sit up in my bed and open my eyes, clutching my head. Louis and Marie stand by the door, staring at me as if they'd just seen a ghost. Maybe they had the way I felt at the present moment.

"Um you want a glass of water first?" Marie says awkwardly. What on Earth was going on? Louis Tomlinson is in my apartment early in the morning, Marie is talking to him like they are old friends and I can't seem to remember how I ended up back in bed in the first place.

I give Marie a nod and she goes to the sink and fills me a cup. I take a sip and look at her expectantly.

She gives Louis a nervous look, but he nods at her.  She takes a breath so deep I can hear the inhale.

"Last night at the party, I saw something." She pauses for a moment, as if collecting her thoughts. Marie was never good under pressure and although I'm not sure where this is going I can tell by the look on her face that this is a situation she doesn't want to be in.

"You were pretty out of it. I don't know if you remember or not but Zayn and I decided you better leave early."

I think back trying to remember, I remember dancing but after that everything was fuzzy.  I vaguely remember seeing Louis but only from a distance.  Did he and Marie have some kind of blooming friendship in the midst of my drunk escapade?

"Not really" I say, slightly ashamed in my behavior.  I watch a sigh of relief wash over Marie's face, but then Louis gives her a disapproving look which tells me that something else was going on.

"Alexia, when I went to tell Niall we were taking you home....." She inhales sharply.  "I saw him with another girl"

My skin turns cold, and suddenly I can't feel the hangover.  "What do you mean with another girl?" I say. My mind denying the first thought that it had come to.  Marie had to be mistaken, Niall had lots of friends, lots of friends that were girls.  I start talking again before she can even answer. "Niall has lots of friends ya know, like that girl! That girl that was at the soccer game...and" 

"Alexia!" Marie says, stopping my train of thought as she places a warm hand on my shoulder.  "Alexia, it wasn't just some friendly chat.  Niall was cheating on you."

I feel my heart begin to pick up its pace.  _Its okay, its okay._ I repeat the two words over and over in my head as if this will somehow keep me calm.  As if I tell myself that I'm okay that I won't feel the heartbreak beginning to creep through my veins. The bitter taste of betrayal in my mouth. The thoughts of the few hours I remember of last night playing over and over in my head.  

Its only when I hear Louis begin to speak that I remember that Marie and I aren't alone in this room.

"Alexia, I'm..." his voice begins to stammer but I blurt out before he can finish.

"No." I shout, my voice sharp and angry.  "No you don't get to do this Louis.  You don't get to tell me 'I told you so'.  You don't get to lecture me about making this mistake.  Why are you even here? To watch my misery?  To laugh at the fact that I didn't heed your warnings and got burned?  Why are you here?" I feel my blood boiling now, my sadness and ache transforming into anger.  How dare he come here in this vulnerable moment.  How dare he even think that he could be the person to comfort me in this moment.

"Alexia...I'm the one who asked him to stay..he's just trying to help"

I feel even more betrayal now.  Marie of all people should know that Louis was not someone I wanted to spend time with.  Especially now.

"Get out." I say without a hint of hesitance.  Louis looks at me for a moment, confused I see him look at Marie with question.  

"You heard me.  Get out Louis.  You have no right to be here" I am once again surprised by the strength and bitterness in my voice.  

"You didn't deserve that Alexia.  I'm so sorry he did that to you" Louis looks at me with those deep blue eyes of his.  For a second I see the sincerity, for a second I feel that he is truly there not to rub his warnings in my face, and for a second I want to take back what I just said.  

But then that second passes and the anger and agony returns.  Louis turns to walk towards the door.  Slowly at first, as if he is waiting for me to suddenly rescind my words.  I don't and the door closes.

I feel the heat rise to my eyes, and I know the tears are coming.  The strength that I just had vanishing.  "You shouldn't have done that Alexia.  He wasn't trying to hurt you" Marie lectures.  But as she turns to face me and sees my face now flooding with tears, the harshness in her voice softens.  

"Come here" she says, bringing me into a hug as I sobbed into her shoulder.  I'm not sure how long we stay there, and I'm not sure how I managed to sob for so long.  As the tears finally begin to dry up and my chest begins to stop heaving, I look to my friend.  

"He was right." The words sting in my mouth as they come out, softly.  But I know they are true.

"He was right and I didn't listen.  I didn't even see the signs." There had been so many times when Niall's flaws had been standing straight before me.  But I refused to heed the warnings, to even listen to the explanation that Louis was giving me.  Simply because it was coming from Louis.  If someone else had told me the same things would have been in the mess that I was in right now, crying, hungover and the most confused I had ever felt in my life.  I think that's what hurt the most.  Not the fact that Niall had betrayed me, not the fact that I had made the wrong choice, but the fact that as much as I had failed to admit, as much as I had chose to believe that it was all a lie.  That Louis had been right, Niall is exactly who Louis said he was.  

"Why was he here?" I say to Marie quietly.  I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer.  

"Are  you going to go all crazy psycho on me like you did Louis?" She says hesitantly, obviously taken aback by the side of me she had never witnessed before. I shake my head at her.

"Of course not Marie" She nods and clears her throat.  

"You were bad, Alexia.  You were really bad.  And Louis, he was there.  He saw how bad you were and got you a glass of water because Zayn and I had no idea what we should be doing" Marie's face shows her reliving the moment, and I can tell that I put her in a bad position.  

"And then we were going to leave but Louis offered to help get you home, I think he saw us struggling and felt like he should help us out.  I was shocked, because you know you always describe him as this awful, arrogant human being."

I look down at the bedspread below me, rubbing the material between my fingers.  I didn't dare look up at Marie, feeling the shame of my actions and my evaluation of Louis' character.

"But I didn't know what else to do, Alexia.  And I know you didn't want anything to do with him, but we needed help and he offered and...I didn't mean to make you upset"

I place my hand over Marie's to calm her down.  "I'm not mad at you" I say. 

She looks at me face full of concern.  I've never seen her quite like this, full of worry and lacking an ounce of confidence.  Is this what I had done to my friend? 

"I get it, I put you in a bad position.  You were just trying to take care of me.  So, thank you." She nods and I see the relief wipe across her face.  

"But why was he here this morning?" I add. Feeling as if Marie had not really gotten to the reason I was asking in the first place. She sighs.

"He brought you home, and you had been getting sick, and I didn't know what to do.  You practically passed out and I was worried about your safety.  So I asked him to stay.  He didn't want to. You should know that the thing he was most worried about was upsetting you."

My mind flashes back to earlier this morning.  The hurt that had raced across Louis's eyes after I told him to get out.  Its almost as if he knew that would be my reaction.  Had I turned into that much of a monster that this was my reaction? And if I had, why would Louis even help me in the first place, knowing he would get no sense of gratitude?

"I was a bit of a bitch to him wasn't I?" I say, instantly regretting the words that had come out of my mouth earlier.  "But you have to understand, Marie, something about him just makes me so mad, and the fact that he had given me all those warnings.  He told me so many times to be careful with Niall and I had just ignored them and took them as his way of making sure I wasn't happy, of getting under my skin and making me second guess my choices.... To be wrong, that was humiliating." My voice cracks, and I know the tears may be returning.  

Marie doesn't say anything for a moment and then just reaches around me to give me a hug.  "We all make mistakes Alexia.  Louis will forgive you, he'll understand. You don't have to do it today, or tomorrow, or even this week.  But when you get through processing all this and are ready to apologize for your actions, he'll understand.  I think he's not quite the person we thought him to be."

Marie's words echo through my head, Louis's face comes to my mind.  The crinkles around his eyes when he smiled, the way his words came out smooth as butter with that thick accent of his, the way his mouth curled into a smirk when he teased me.  Had a been making a mistake this entire time? All the signs had been clearly in front of me and I had chosen to ignore them.  Louis had shown me who he really was, but I couldn't seem to get passed the star soccer player in front of me.  And I think that's what hurt the most, not the fact that Niall had betrayed me, not the fact that I had made the wrong choice, not even the fact that I had ignored every single thing that Louis had ever told me about Niall.  It was the fact that I had someone standing right in front of me, but I couldn't see passed the outer layer enough to realize that there was something more.  There was something great.  And I had lost it. 

 

 

 


	32. Chapter 32

**Alexia POV**

Two weeks had passed since Marie had walked in on Niall with another woman.  For the first few days, I would wake up every morning to a voicemail.  I wouldn't even have to look at the name to know who was calling.  I deleted most of them. The few I listened to were filled with empty apologies.  Niall's voice echoing that it had all been a mistake, that Marie hadn't seen what she thought she had, that if he just had a moment to explain himself that he could make things right, that if I would just call him back everything would be better.  I never called him back, and after a few days I didn't wake up to voicemails anymore.  

As time passed I realized that things had changed.  The world around me that had seemed so perfect and full of life wasn't what it seemed anymore.  I wasn't going to fall in love, everything wasn't going to work out as I had planned it. Life wasn't fair, life wasn't sunshine and rainbows.  I had changed, and the people I surrounded myself with changed in response to it, like I was a plague infecting one person after the next.   

Even Marie, my closest friend, radiated the pain from my own misery.  She approached me with caution, never asking too much, keeping her distance, giving me my space.  For the first time in my life I felt utterly alone.  I had no one to turn to and I was starting to believe that I would never find my happiness again.

That was on the inside of course, on the outside when I was putting on a show, I could win a Oscar for my performance.  I went to class dressed to the nines, with the fakest smile I could muster.  To someone who didn't know me, it would seem that I had it all together.  That my break-up with Niall had had no effect on me.  But the girl that looked back at me in the mirror told a very different story.  

As I slid into my seat next to Louis in Chemistry Lab, I stayed silent.  We didn't talk to each other anymore.  Not even the small talk, nothing more than was absolutely necessary to complete our project-which was going horribly at the moment. We'd never spoken of that night.  I hadn't yet mustered up the strength to apologize and admit my shortcomings, and it was as if he didn't want to wake the beast by mentioning a single thing about it.  This was exactly how I had wanted it weeks ago, but I couldn't help but wish that one of these days he would make a joke like he used to about the Professor's outfit for the day, or tease me for being so focused on the assignment.  

"I will now be passing out the tests from last week before you leave. I have to say I was a tad disappointed in the scores, I expected more after your scores on the first exam. " Professor Smithson seems to stare in our direction.  I had forgotten we had even taken a test. 

"Really? I thought it was easier than the last one" I hear Louis mutter under his breath.  He doesn't look at me when he is speaking though.  As if he doesn't want me to think that was meant to be a conversation starter between the two of us.  I wasn't sure I agreed with Louis's statement.  That test was definitely not easier than the last one, but then I again I had a lot on my mind.  A low B on one test wasn't going to kill my grade now was it?

Professor Smithson walks down the aisles, laying each test on the lab bench in front of the students one by one.  The slight grin on her face tells me that she somewhat enjoys seeing the fear in each students eyes as they get handed a quarter of their fate for the class on a small sheet of paper.  She sets the exam in front of Louis first.  I listen as he slowly peels his paper face side up, I glance out of the corner of my eye to see a look of relief wash over his face and a slight grin.  The crinkles become visible at the edge of his eyes.  

She sets the paper in front of me next, and I mentally warn myself before I flip it over.  This wasn't going to my best score in the class, and that was okay.  I could get something lower than the A's I had grown used to during my high school years.  It wasn't the end of the world. 

I flip over the paper in front of me and look at the score 44 catches my eye read and big.  I don't catch it at first  but then it jumps out at me, the letter impossible to miss.  A big fat F staring me in the face.  Minus 44.  I had missed 44 points on the test.  Nearly half.  

This was bad.  This was really bad.  And suddenly everything I've been trying to conceal from the outside world for the past few weeks comes rushing to the surface, all the pain, all the disappointment, all the doubt in my mind.  I feel that dreaded feeling.  You know when your face gets hot and you feel as if all your blood is running to your face and no matter how hard you try to conceal it, no matter how hard you try to force back inside, you know that the tears are about to flow freely from your eyes.  I couldn't do it here.  I couldn't do it now.  I grab my books and slam them into my backpack as fast as I can, taking the paper representation of all my failures with it.   

Then I almost run.  I move my body faster than I ever have before, faster than I knew I could walk. I fight the tears, blinking my eyelids rapidly.  I doesn't help much and when I finally feel the crisp fall air hit my face as I rush out the door. The waterworks have begun.  I rush to a spot alongside the building, by which no one ever passed.  I bury my head into my knees, pulling the sleeves of my sweatshirt past my fingers.  I let the tears fall, I let them burn through my cheeks and I let them soak through the thin material of my leggings.  My chest begins to rise and fall quickly and sporadically, but I can't stop the sobs no matter how hard I try.  

I had failed.  I had truly and honestly failed and absolutely nothing that I was going to do would change that.  My life had spiraled out of control, and I barely recognized myself.  How had I let a boy ruin me like that? How had I lost sight of my goals?

I work myself up so much that I don't even notice when a body sits down beside me. I don't even have the strength to look up as I hear the sound of someone sit down beside me.  

**Louis POV**

I can tell something is wrong the moment that she looks at the test.  Her face turns an ashen gray and I know that she hadn't done well.  At first I think maybe its just a little lower than she expected, but as she rushes to put away her things and runs out the door, I know its much worse than that.  

I had noticed the difference in her since the Niall incident.  How could you not? She tried to hide it, and I had to admit she did put on a good front.  But she didn't smile for no reason, she didn't even make eye contact with me, and I hardly ever saw her running around campus with Marie like she used to be. 

I didn't say anything to her.  I knew she didn't want me to and so I kept my distance, but I desperately wanted to interject. I wanted to tell her that this one small hiccup wasn't the end of the world.  I wanted to see her smile at my jokes.  I wanted to show her that there is an ounce of good left in this world, and that not all guys are arses like Niall.  

I don't even think about it when she gets up. I follow after her.  I had watched her suffer for weeks and I knew this was only going to make things worse.  She needed someone now more than ever.  

When I exit the building and look around I see her propped against the wall, head to her knees.  I can hear her sobs from here, they echo off the cold brick walls. I sit down next to her in silence, she doesn't move or flinch. 

Then almost instinctively, I wrap my arm around her shoulder and pull her into my chest.  The edges of her sweatshirt are moist from her tears and I can feel the vibrations of her hitched breath through my chest.  I wait for her to pull away and yell at me for what I'm doing-she doesn't.  She stays there head buried into my chest, her tears leaving wet streaks on my sweatshirt.  She's so vulnerable in this state, and I feel this duty to protect her from the world in my arms.  

"Do you want to talk about it?" My words break the silence and her head lifts to look at me.  Her eyes puffy and red and her green eyes still glistening from the tears.  Alexia takes her sleeve and wipes it across her nose, sniffling as if trying to collect herself.  

"I...I failed" she says softly and I can hear the disappointment and frustration in her voice.  "I've never failed anything in my life Louis and now my whole world is spiraling out of control."  The tears begin to fall again as if the verbalization of the issue has only made it worse. 

I stay silent for a minute, not sure if this is the time to interject my piece or to let her talk through it.  I neglect for the later, and after she calms her sobs she starts again, voice weak and raspy from the crying.

"I always said that I would never let anything get between me and my future.  Between my academic progress.  And look at me now, I failed a test-literally, failed, all because I was so worked up over a stupid boy.  How am I going to explain this to my parents?"

I look at Alexia with eyes of understanding.  She continues.  "I can hear it now, my mom saying 'Alexia you had such a bright future ahead of you, how could you throw it all away like that' My dad will tell me that 'See boys are trouble'.  But I know, I know that I made a terrible, horrible mistake. How do I do it? How do I come back from this?" She looks at me this time, eyes pleading, as if held the secret to her salvation.

I, of course, knew I didn't.  Alexia was so much wiser than I was. I had no authority to tell her how to overcome this issue.  But when I stared into those emerald green eyes, full of fear and self-loathing, I had to tell her something, anything to make her see that this wasn't the end.

"Alexia..." I sigh running a hand through my thick brown hair.  It was a nervous habit I had inherited when I was younger.  Mrs. Styles said it was unprofessional, but it was my best way of coping.  "Alexia, you are a beautiful, smart and dedicated women.  You have the ambition and work ethic to do absolutely anything you put your mind to." Her eyes shift down to look at the ground, obviously uncomfortable by the words leaving my mouth.

"You don't see it now, I know, but this isn't the end of the world.  And these past few weeks, haven't changed who you really are.  Sure, it changes you-betrayal has that effect, but the Alexia I was paired up with at the beginning of the semester is still somewhere deep inside of there." I smile a soft smile to myself, thinking of the girl I had met on the very first day, so determined, so soft-spoken, so beautiful.  Time hadn't changed that, and neither had Niall Horan.

"Take it from someone who has failed many times.  Heck, I failed much more than a single test in Chemistry last year-I failed the class.  You will get through it, this isn't the end of the road.  Sure, its going to take some work, its not going to be easy, but you have some amazing friends that will be there to support you every step of the way. You are never going to be the exact same person you were before, something like this changes you, but that doesn't mean you aren't going to be better.  I like to think that time has that effect on people, the ability to turn our mistakes into something beautiful.  If we never changed, I don't think we'd be doing  this life thing right."

Alexia is twirling her thumbs in her fingers.  I take her chin in my hand and gently raise it until her eyes meet mine.  She can't look away now.  "Everything is going to be alright, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but if you give it time it will all work out. Don't sell yourself short." 

She's quiet for a moment, but she doesn't break the eye contact.  She just stares at me, and I know her brain is processing at a million miles a minute.  Her breathing has slowed down significantly, and I can see that the initial shock of the whole thing has begun to set in.  She's starting to come to terms with it all, and maybe just maybe hear what I had to say.  

"Why did you do that? Why did you come out here?" She asks, but this time her questions aren't filled with anger or hatred or even an ounce of disappointment.  

I pause for a minute.  I hadn't really thought about why I had come out in the first place, it had felt almost instinctual, like I had to be there to help her through.  

"Honestly..I say turning my body slightly to face her straight on. "I'm not quite sure. It just felt like what I needed to do.  I'd seen you the past few weeks, I've seen how much the Niall thing had taken its toll on you, and when you ran out of the lab.  I just needed to make sure you were okay.  You needed someone, and although I may not be your first choice or even your fifth, I wanted to try and be there for you."

She bits her lip for a moment, looking down at the ground.  The silence is killing me, did I mess something up, is she about ready to scream with rage?

"Thank you." She says softly.  "Thank you for doing that." She hesitates for a moment, as if she doesn't want to say what has come to her mind at first.  "And thank you for helping Marie and Zayn the other night, I just..."

I reach my hand out and place it over hers, giving her the subtle signal that she doesn't have to go there if she's not ready.  

"And I'm sorry for getting your shirt all wet." She laughs, and I realize its the first time that I've seen her smile in weeks.  She had the type of smile that reminded you of the sun.  It radiated to all parts of her face and made it impossible for you not to smile with her.  This smile was small, gone only seconds after it appeared, but it was there nonetheless.  I look down at my grey sweatshirt, a large spot of dark, stained from tears is near the shoulder.  

"Anytime. If you ever want to talk or something.." I find myself at a loss for words as well...caught in a trance by the way our eyes had met.  My heart skips a beat.  Alexia leans in, wrapping her arms around me.  It was unexpected, but a welcomed embrace, and the heat of her body against my skin feels so right.  

"I was wrong about you Louis" she whispers near my ear, barely loud enough for me to hear.  And in that moment, I knew things between us were about to change. 


	33. Chapter 33

**Alexia POV**

I pull away from Louis, sensing the change in temperature from being pulled away from his chest. I stare at his eyes for a moment, my own bloodshot eyes reflecting out of his crystalline ones.  He doesn't say anything and I don't either for a minute.  I feel my emotions begin to return to somewhat of a balance, almost as if his presence had a calming effect on me.  

"I should probably get back to my room. Marie will wonder where on earth I've run off to." I say slowly, hesitant to let this moment pass and return to the time where Louis and I acted like the other didn't exist.  I begin to stand, feeling my legs shake below me. I pull my sweatshirt down to cover my waist, and reach down to pick up my backpack that I had thrown beside me.  

Louis stands beside me, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as well.  He stands there awkwardly for a moment as though he isn't sure what to do next. "I guess I'll head back then." I say, trying to give him the hint that he was okay to leave. 

He doesn't move.  "Can I walk you back?" His voice quivers as he says this and I watch his eyes shift to the ground nervously, his foot kicking around a rock on the rough, gray asphalt.  

"You don't have to do that." I look at him softly.  "I'm not going to like fall onto the ground crying again or anything." I try to stifle a small awkward laugh, but Louis doesn't crack a smile.  

"It's not a problem.  No one should have to be alone when they are upset." He looks off distantly, as if he is having a flashback of his own.  I nod accepting his company and we begin to walk towards my residence hall slowly.  

I keep my head down as we go, not wanting anyone to see me in the state that I am in.  Not wanting anyone to ask if I was okay.  Louis doesn't say anything either, but he walks beside me.  His shoulder inches from my own. There was something comforting about knowing that someone was walking next to me, hearing the soft thump of our feet in synch as we walked across the pavement.  The walk seemed longer than it ever had before, and I began to quicken my pace.  Louis notices but stays silent, only widening his strides to keep in line with my own.  

When we arrive at my building I expect Louis to stop and go his own seperate way.  Instead he reaches for the door and pulls it opening, holding it for me as I walk through the doorway.  We walk the stairs to my room, stopping at the door for a moment.

"It will be okay Alexia, I promise" Louis says with the most sincere smile I've ever seen his lips form.  Its not sarcastic, its not judging, its just full of comfort.  Out of no where I feel his arms reach around me, my head once again nuzzled into the warm chest of his grey sweatshirt.  

I pull away, and somehow only have the strengh to pull a humble thank you from my lips.  

"Anytime" He says and I reach to open the door.  "I'll see you later Alexia"

"See you later" I smile softly.  As I step inside the door, I see Marie sitting at her desk, earbuds poking out of her ears, the soft buzz of music coming from them.  She glances up at me at first and then returns to her books.  But a moment later her music is pulled out of her eyes and her full attention is on me.  

"What's wrong? What happened?" Her voice full of concern.

I sit down on my bed and Marie plops down beside me.  I sigh.

"Nothing really." She looks at me unconvinced.

"Your eyes are bloodshot and puffy, something's up." I guess it was just as obvious as I had feared. 

"I just had a breakdown after I got my Chemistry test back. I think I had just built everything up so much over the past few weeks and then not doing well on that was like the tip of the iceberg."

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asks soothingly.

Did I want to talk about it? After sitting with Louis I wasn't feeling as badly about it anymore.  I'm sure the panic would return, it wasn't something that I could just forget about it.  But I had come to accept it, almost like a sense of calm had come over me.  Was that all from Louis?

"Actually, I kind of already did." I say. Marie is silent for a moment, and even though I'm not looking at her, I can imagine her face scrunched up with confusion, with three prominent wrinkles forming on her forward.  

"With who?" She asks.  Did I want to tell her the answer? Would it only confused me more than I already was?

"Umm...Louis actually"

"You let Louis talk to you? You talked to Louis?" Shock fills her voice.  After the night at Niall's party and the events following I had told Marie that I would not speak to Louis again.  

"I didn't ask him to or anything but he just came after me when he saw that I was upset and he just sat there and I don't know I'm just more confused than ever about him Marie."

"What's to be confused about Alexia? Its obvious that he is a good guy.  You just had to dig a bit to uncover the treasure." 

"I know but..."

"What guy volunteers to take you back home when your wasted just to make sure you get home okay, or to check on you just because your face looks upset? I think he has demonstrated that he's not just some ass trying to mess with you Alexia.  He is actually caring, and if I didn't know any better I'd say he cares about you." She looks at me with those eyes that only a good friend can.  The kind of eyes that say that they know they are right and that you should just listen to them already. 

"I know I was wrong about him.  I've been wrong about everything." I say, and I feel my voice begin to crack again.  Marie gives me a hug and I feel my heart rate begin to slow again. 

"Then start being right about something, be right about Louis Tomlinson."

 


	34. Chapter 34

**Alexia POV**

It had been a few days since my emotional breakdown in front of Louis and I begun to feel like maybe everything would work out to be okay.  I had started to put more effort into studying again, working through chemistry problems every night before bed.  In fact it even helped to keep my mind off of things.  Louis and I had decided that we needed to get some work done on our lab project, especially since I hadn't been contributing much over the past few weeks.  

I made my way to the lab under the crisp fall air.  Campus was truly beautiful in the fall, with the leaves changing into shades of orange and red and the night was the perfect mix of cool and warm.  And I was going to be stuck in the lab instead of enjoying the weather...of course.  

I walk into the lab to find Louis already sitting there, thumbing across his phone screen. He looks up as I enter the room and he smiles as we make eye contact.  "Hey" I say. 

"How are you doing?" He replies and I pull up a chair next to him on the lab bench.  

"I'm doing better." I shrug.  And I wasn't lying.  I had been doing better, but I definitely wasn't back to normal quite yet.  "So tonight we need to..."

"Ya about that." Louis stops me mid-sentence. I look at him expecting him to suddenly have something come up, something the old Louis most definitely would have done.  "You've had a rough week, well really a rough month." 

I nod, wondering where he was going with this. "Well, and when I have one of those I need something to get my mind off of things, and that's not usually working in a Chemistry lab...so...can I show you something?"

I'm confused at first.  Did he mean that we aren't going to work on the lab, we were already weeks behind and I wasn't sure we could afford much more time without working on our project.  But here was Louis trying to do something nice and I remember what Marie had told me.  Louis had shown that maybe he wasn't the person I thought I was, and unless I stopped treating him like he was my least favorite person in the world, I would never know if our suspicions were true.   

"Okay" I say.

He looks surprised as if he didn't expect me to say yes. "Really okay?"

"Yes, okay where are we going?" I standing up and grabbing my stuff, shoving my lab notebook back into my backpack.  

"Well if I told you that it wouldn't be much fun now would it?" He smiles that mischievous smirk of his. "C'mon Alexia"

I follow him blindly, not sure where we are headed.  Campus is quite, with most people locked into their rooms or the library for the night.  "Do I at least get a hint?" I ask, as we continue walking, Peterson Hall now far in the distance.  

"Nope. Now just be thankful I didn't blindfold you, 'cause that definitely crossed my mind." I roll my eyes, like I would have agreed to have Louis Tomlinson lead me across campus blindfolded.  

"Almost there." Louis sighs as we begin to climb a hill. We are far from main campus now, to an area I have never adventured too.  I don't see any building's nearby.  

As we cross the crest of the hill, I spot an open field, with a soccer net on each side. They are falling apart, with holes in the net and the grass wearing thin in places.   

"A soccer field?" I say unimpressed.  "You wanted to show me a soccer field?"

"Its not just a soccer field Alexia.  This happens to be my absolute favorite soccer field on this campus.   And believe it or not soccer is an excellent way to get your mind off of whatever is bothering you."

"I think you just wanted a chance to show off how much better you are at soccer than I am" I say with a laugh.

"That may be true, but maybe there is a FOOTBALLER hidden deep inside of you." He emphasizes the word footballer as if to prove a point that I was using the incorrect terminology.  

He reaches into his backpack to pull out a soccer ball.  He sets it on the ground and begins to dribble it between his feet. Then he kicks it towards me, it hits the side of my foot and rolls to the side.  "Go on" He motions towards the ball and I realize that he wants me to kick it back to him.  I go to the ball and wind my foot back kicking it lightly and watching it roll to the far left of Louis.  

He laughs.  "Maybe work on your aim a bit." He walks out to the middle of the field and we kick the ball back and forth.  He tells me that I should angle my foot one way and how much force I should be using to kick the ball.  After a while, I seem to be able to kick it straight to Louis.

"Well now that you have mastered the kick let's see if you are capable of scoring. " We walk over to one of the nets.  Louis lines up at the line, kicking the ball as I watch it make perfect contact with the ripped net.  

"Your turn" He says throwing the ball at me.  I flinch for a moment, shielding my face with my hands, but by some miracle manage to catch the ball.

"Oh yeah like I can follow up with that."

"You got it." He says.  "Just concentrate on where you want the ball to go and follow your foot through to that point."

I stand at the line and stare straight ahead at the net, retreating my foot backwards and then propelling it towards the ball, making contact and sending it flying, it goes sideways and bounces off the rail of the net.

"Close?" I laugh.  Louis smiles, his eyes sparkling.  

"Try again." He throws the ball back at me, and this time I catch it with confidence.

I try again, this time the ball making contact with the net.  "GOAL!" I shout throwing my hands in the air.  

"Hey hey now not so fast, doesn't count unless you have a goalie" Louis takes his place in front of the net, giving me his toughest stare down.  I kick, Louis deflects.  I kick again, and Louis catches the ball once again.

"You gotta do better than that Alexia" he taunts. I focus in on the net, and with one forceful kick watch the ball fly narrowly past Louis's shoulder and into the net with a swish.  

"And Hollaway with the goal!" Louis shouts in a mock announcer voice.  I'm jumping up and down at my strike of luck,  and screech as Louis comes up from behind me and lifts me onto his shoulder.

"Put me down!" I squeal but I'm laughing so hard my abs are cramping and feel like I'm on top of the world.  Louis finally sets me on the ground and I plop to the ground, laying down onto the smooth grass.  The stars are beginning to come out and I stare at them for a moment, catching my breath.  

"Where did you learn to play?" I ask, turning my head to look at Louis, who has now lay down in the grass next to me and is staring up at the night sky. 

"Me dad taught me.  We used to play footie for hours in the yard. We'd play til me mum would yell at us that it was time for supper.  That's all I ever wanted to do, and so naturally I developed quite the skill for it. He always told me I would make it. " He pauses momentarily.  We both stare at the stars instead of each other. "Don't think he could ever have imagined I'd be playing in America.  Actually, its quite ironic, you know considering you don't even treat it like proper football with all that soccer bull."

I shoot him a look at that comment.  Those darn Europeans and their "football".  

"Has he gotten to see you play?" I ask.  

"I like to think he has, in some way." He says slowly.  I turn to look at him, processing what he has just said, making sure my assumptions are correct. His face seems distant, as if he staring up to another world. 

"You're wondering if he's dead or not right?" He turns to face me, our faces only a foot or so apart.

I nod softly. 

"Yep" He says abruptly, with barely any emotion.  As if it was a normal answer to a normal question.

"I'm sorry...I didn't..." I start to say. Looking into his eyes for any sense of emotion.

"'Tis fine.  Don't really talk about much.  Know one really knows about it here. That's I guess the beauty of being stuck here in America, everyone just assumes that my family's too far away to visit.  They just ask me if I miss them, and then I'm not really lying ya know."

I want to ask more, questions rush through my head.  Was he young when it happened? How did he die? Was it unexpected? But I decide that maybe this wasn't the time for it.  Louis barely knew me and was opening up to me like this, I didn't want to push it further than I should.

"I'm sure he's very proud of you." I say, not sure if this is an appropriate comment. Louis turns to look back up to the sky.

"Well I don't know about proud.  I've definitely fucked up a few times in my life..." He laughs with a smirk.  "But he was no saint either, I'd like to at least think my parents aren't totally ashamed of me."

"Sorry that kind of took a dark turn, you don't want to hear about my sob-story of a childhood." He says turning back to face me with a renewed energy.  "Shall we play a game of one-on-one?"


	35. Chapter 35

**Louis POV**

"Where have you been all night?" Harry raises an eyebrow as I burst through the door of our apartment just before midnight. I throw my backpack to the ground and fling myself across the black leather couch opposite the chair Harry is sitting in. I didn't realize how exhausted I was until now.

"I went to the lab to work on my project." I say with a sigh.

Harry lets out a laugh, the laugh he does when he doesn't see through an ounce of the bullshit I am telling him. "Right, you went to the lab and that's why you absolutely reek of sweat."

I turn my head to give him a glare. 

"You have an absolutely awful poker face Tommo, I'm surprised you ever get away with hiding any of your secrets." A smirk forms on Harry's face, showing those dimples Leah obsessed over on a daily basis.  In my opinion, the problem wasn't my pocker face but the fact that Harry knew me so well that it was impossible to fool him. 

"Fine, I did go to the lab. But then I went to the practice field and played some footie."

"With who?" Harry questions, but I can tell by his face he already knows who it was.  

"Alexia." I say, her name rolling off my tongue like honey. I picture her face as she scored a goal on me, the pure shock and happiness. It had been a good night, one of the best I'd had in a while.  

"So what you are suddenly best friends with the girl? I thought she hated your guts."

"She's just going through a rough time, I thought maybe she could do something non-academic for once.  You nerds never leave anytime for fun you know."

Harry fakes an offended look. "Who are you turning into anymore Lou?"

"Don't really know if I'm being honest." It's true that lately I hadn't been myself. Or maybe it was the reverse. Maybe only lately had I begin to show my true colors. For so long I had been the lonely boy with the messed up past. The boy that had developed walls of steel to surround him from any further harm. For Harry to notice meant things had really changed. Harry had known me for most of my life, watching my past transform me into a new person. And now he was starting to see the glimpses of who I could have been, who I should of been if my life hadn't turned to shambles at such a young age.

"Well for what's it's worth Lou, it's a good change. It's like a new and improved version of your old self. Heck, soon you won't even need my help with Chemistry." Harry says with a laugh.

"Well I don't know about that." I reply. Harry raises an eyebrow but doesn't respond back.

"Well I think I'm going to head to bed man, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night mate" I say as Harry runs a hand through his head of curls and heads to his bedroom. I lay on the couch for a while longer, contemplating my life. 

The silence hung over me for a few minutes, and flashbacks of my childhood played through my mind. The early days of kicking the football across the lawn with my dad. My mom calling to us that it was time for dinner, and me begging for just five more minutes so I could score another day. The sound of my sister's cheers from the sideline as I made a brilliant steal off my dad. The simple moments. The good moments. The moments that I wanted to play over and over in my head.

I realize now that tonight had been more important than I first realized. I'd never mentioned my parents to anyone at university, besides Harry of course. Sure, Alexia didn't know the whole story or even the half of it. But for some reason that small moment under the stars where I let her get a glimpse of my soul felt so intimate. I hadn't had a moment like that before. Not with anyone. Definitely not with Alexia. 

I didn't know what to think about her anymore honestly. It was true that I found her absolutely beautiful, and though at times I found her personality absolutely unbearable, it was starting to grow on me. She'd changed since I'd first met her; the girl who wanted everything to go perfectly was slowly starting to melt away, with a new girl forming underneath. I think I liked this new girl better, a girl that was honest and real and wasn't being anyone but herself. That's the kind of girl that I needed in my life. That's the kind of guy I wanted to become. 

 _She's not interested Louis_ , my internal monologue argues back. I knew it was true. Although little by little we had begun to bond, I knew that there was still a part of Alexia that hated my guts. That part would probably persist for awhile, if not forever. I know that I should drop it, having feelings is what hurt me so bad in the first place. That's why I built such a wall up when I got to America, to block those feelings out and keep them from ever dampening my mind. I was toxic to her, she needed someone who wasn't a jackass half the time, who actually would have a successful life after college, who was susceptive to her feelings. She needed a Harry, the guy every girl wanted to bring back home to her parents. She didn't need someone like me, with a past full of dark and twisty secrets and an identity crisis. 

If all this was true why couldn't I seem to wipe those bright green eyes out of my mind? Why couldn't I think of anything else but her hair cascading over her shoulder as she lay beside me? Why I couldn't I wish for things to go back to the way they were a few weeks ago? Why was Alexia Hollaway taking over my life?

 

 


	36. Chapter 36

**Alexia POV**

"I told you mom, I have a big test this week in Chemistry, we can go out for lunch but we can't be traipsing around town all day long" I lecture my mother, who had dropped by unannounced for a visit. I suspected this visit was less of a "I was in the area" and more of a "I haven't heard from you in weeks and needed to make sure you were alive". Its true I had been avoiding my mother recently. After the last chemistry test I had been afraid to say that I was doing fine in my classes, when really it wasn't quite that simple.

"I just thought it would be nice for you to get off of campus for a while. You can't study twenty-four hours a day dear." My mom doesn't like my suggestion of staying on campus for lunch, as I expected.

"Mom, you have to understand when you drop by unannounced like this that I already had a schedule in place." I start to argue with my mother but realize its just taking away more time from my day. I guess I'll settle for a compromise. "I guess we can go out to eat. But something quick, I have three chapters to review tonight for my test." My mom gives a satisfied smile and I can tell that she is pleased she won me over. Now if I could avoid the subject of academia long enough to make it through lunch.

We walk out the door of my dorm and towards the car, my mom rattling on about some work drama. I swear that's all she talked about anymore, how much she hated her job. Its when we've almost reached the parking lot that I spot him. Walking towards us with a soccer ball lodged under his right arm. I try to quicken my pace as to not be caught with my mother, but he spots me.

"Hey Alexia" he gives a polite wave. Were we friends now? Had our little conversation on the soccer field the other night changed our relationship that much that we now acknowledged each other in public places?

"Hi Louis" I respond politely, hoping this will be the end of the conversation so my mom doesn't ask any questions about him later.

"Wanna study for the chem test later? I've made loads of flashcards" to my dismay Louis continues the conversation, stopping just far enough away from us to avoid an awkward introduction with my mother.

I nod my head. "Sure." It looks like Louis finally gets the hint that I'm not in the mood for conversation.

"See you later then" he waves and continues walking. A breathe a sigh of relief that my mom didn't interrupt. Louis is no more than twenty feet away from us when my mom begins her questioning.

"Now who is that Alexia? He's nice looking."

I roll my eyes, I knew my mom's silence wouldn't last long. "Louis Tomlinson mom. No he's not my boyfriend just my lab partner." I can almost see my mom's thoughts racing through her head, trying to make the connection between what I just said and what I had told her about my lab partner.

"Lab partner? He's not the one that was being so awful to you now was he?" I slide into the passenger seat of my mom's black sedan. I wasn't sure how to answer her question anyway. Explaining the love hate relationship that Louis and I had was more difficult than explaining quantum physics.

"Well...ya that's him." I start off my mom gives me a look of shock. "But he's different know, he's really changed since I've first met him. We get along quite well actually."

"Maybe your studious habits rubbed off on him a bit." My mom smiles. _Doubt that._ I think to myself, but give my mother a polite nod.

"Well he seems like a nice gentlemen, I suppose he has a girlfriend at the moment." My mom was constantly trying to play matchmaker for me. I think she was secretly terrified that her daughter would never find someone and would end up alone for the rest of her life. Sometimes I had to remind her that I was just eighteen, I had years of my life left before she needed to start worrying.

"He recently had a breakup." I respond, hoping this gets my mom off the Louis train. "Besides he's not really my type." I lie through my teeth. Maybe I didn't have a type, but there was no doubt in my mind that I started to develop a bit of a crush on Louis. It would never happen, we were too different, but the feelings in the pit of my stomach when I saw him never seemed to go away.

***************************************

Louis invites me over to his apartment to study. I was a little uneasy about the situation, one because I had no idea where his apartment was located and two, because I didn't want people to start making assumptions. I figured he lived with a soccer player and that would only start unwanted drama with Niall.

I walk up the single flight of stairs and find the third door on the left, I knock quietly, surveying my surroundings to make sure no one has seen me. Louis opens the door seconds later.

"Oh good you found it, come on in." The apartment was the opposite of what I expected. When I pictured Louis's apartment I pictured beer bottles strung here and there, leftover pizza boxes piling up in the corner, the TV blaring with the most recent football game. The apartment was actually clean, not spotless in anyway, but you can tell they washed there dishes and picked up after themselves. The coffee table was covered with chemistry notes, flashcards and textbooks and I quietly took a seat on the black leather couch across from Louis and pulled out my own notes.

We sit in silent for a moment, not sure what to say to the other. Louis breaks the quiet with his accent.

"So how are you feeling about the test?" He looks to me with concern, and he probably thinks that I'm going to start having a mental breakdown in the middle of his living room.

"I'm feeling pretty good actually. I've been putting a lot of time into this and hopefully it will pay off." I respond. It was the truth, after the last test I had been working my butt off to do my absolute best in my classes. I had studied for hours every night, woke up early even on the weekends and had barely left the library. I wasn't going to neglect my studies again.

"Want to go over some flashcards then?" Louis asks and I nod. We spend the next hour quizzing each other over everything we could possibly be tested over. Louis explains orbitals to me in a way I didn't know he was capable of. I suspected that he was far smarter than he let on.

We are interrupted by the front door opening and a curly-haired brunette walking through the door. I see a look of panic cross Louis's face at first. Was that Harry Styles? Had Louis asked him to come over and help tutor us?

Its when Leah walks through the door that I get even more confused. She definitely wasn't here to help tutor Louis, so was she just tagging along? Leah catches my eye.

"Alexia! Good to see you!"

"Good to see you to Leah!" I respond, wanting to ask her what she was doing here but knowing that it wasn't really my place.

"Alexia. Louis." Harry nods in acknowledgement.

"Didn't think you'd be back so soon mate, we're just studying for the test this week." Louis says. Back? Did Harry live with Louis?

"Well we will leave you be then. Best of luck." Harry says kindly, and the couple makes their way to the back of the apartment where I can only assume the bedrooms are.

"Is Harry your roommate?" I ask as soon as I assume Harry is out of earshot. I know Louis isn't going to like me being so nosey, but I do it anyway. This would give some explanation as to why Louis was in Harry's house at the start of the year. Well, kinda.

"Yeah." Louis says, looking back down to the flashcards. I know I should leave it at that but my mouth has a mind of its own.

"How did that happen? I mean you guys seem like totally different people. Was it just coincidence?" Louis's mouth turns into one of his smirks and I know he is amused by the amount of questions I am throwing at him.

"Jeez, Holloway, always so into other's business aren't you." I feel my cheeks beginning to gain heat, and know they are probably flushed in a red hue by now. "Harry and I have been mates for a long time. Believe it our not we used to have a lot in common. He's like a brother to me now, he's been there for the tough stuff and the good stuff."

"Like when your dad died?" I blurt out and mentally curse myself for afterwards. I had a feeling that had never been something Louis meant to share with me, and me bringing it up now was like taunting him for his vulnerability. I fully expect rage to explode onto his face at any moment.

"Something like that." Louis responds softly, looking back down at his book. "Now tell me what you know about strong bases."  
  
  
  



	37. Chapter 37

**Alexia POV**

6:04pm.

I was supposed to meet Louis at six. The end of the semester was quickly approaching and we had only a matter of days  left to work on our final project. So where was Louis? I tap my pencil on the lab bench, beginning to grow impatient. We had agreed to meet at six so I would still have time to work on my General Biology homework before tomorrow. Louis and I had such a good relationship nowadays it wasn't like he would bail on me. Or would he?

My phone now reads 6:13pm

Still not a sign from Louis. Not a text, not a call, not even an email. For all I know he could be lying dead on the edge of the road somewhere never to be heard from again. I decide I can't wait all night, I'm going to text and see if he's coming. I type up the nicest text my annoyed brain can muster and click send. I wasn't trying to start a fight over this, I just wanted to get it done, honestly. 

6:27pm.

It's been nearly a half hour and there hasn't been anything from Louis. I begin to pack up my stuff, I wasn't about to wait up all night for this loser. And just when I had begun to think that we were turning over a new leaf. Louis had been so engaged lately it was like I had been matched up with a whole other person. But maybe that was too good to be true. 

I fling my backpack over my shoulder and head out of the lab. Turning the lights to darkness as I leave. He'd have some explaining to do later that's for sure. I'm annoyed with myself now, for letting a few good weeks convince me that Louis Tomlinson was a changed man. Louis Tomlinson wasn't a changed man at all, he was the same sports-addicted jock that taunted me on my very first day here. 

Marie notices my annoyance when I walk in the door. 

"Back early?" She says kindly. 

I nod and set my stuff on my desk, getting started on the millions of other things I need to get done before the end of the semester. Marie doesn't ask questions. We've lived together long enough that she can read me like a book, and annoyed Alexia is not the person that you want to cross paths with. 

It's 7:33 when my phone starts to vibrate, disrupting my study rhythm. I glance down at the illuminated screen, Louis Tomlinson lighting up across it just as I expected. I ignore the call. If he didn't have the decency to show up to work on a group project, I most definitely didn't owe him any more of my night to listen to his excuses and poor attempt at an apology. 

The phone begins to ring again, and once again I ignore it. The third time it rings Marie intervenes. "Are you going to answer that or are we just going to be listening to the vibrations the rest of the night?"

I shoot her a glare back but turn my phone onto silent. I see that this time Louis has left me a voicemail. I also see that he has texted me. Seven times to be exact. I want to sit and ignore them, but I've always been too curious for my own good.

_Alexia I'm so sorry. I proper spaced._

_Can you pick up your phone please?_

_Alexia, I know your just ignoring these calls please give me a chance to explain myself._

_Alexia...._

_I know I messed up, just let me explain._

_Can you just answer your phone?_

_Okay, I know you're ignoring me but please let me explain._

"What did he do this time?" Marie asks, and I realize the look on my face as I read the messages must have told it all. I turn to look at my friend and roll my eyes.

We don't even clarify what he we are talking about, anymore there only seemed to be one consuming my life anyway.

"He didn't show up to work on our project. It's like we finally get to a point where I think maybe I was wrong, and maybe he's actually a decent human being, and then he goes and messes everything up again." I sigh and run a hand through my hair.

Louis Tomlinson had done nothing but make this semester a living hell for me, toying with my emotions and my sanity too many times to count. But yet somehow, time and time again those words left his mouth in that beautiful British accent of his and I was in a trance. I hated the way he made me feel and I hated it even more that I didn't really hate it at all.

"You guys are like fire and water my god. Worse than an old married couple, my god." Marie laughs.

"We aren't a couple." I say with a stern voice.

"But you want to be," Marie smirks. "I wish the two of you would just admit it already and live your happily ever after."

I don't say anything anymore. No amount of me arguing would change Marie's mind. And in a way she was right, something about Louis drove me crazy, but in a way I couldn't understand.

"Well I'm not texting him back." I say firmly. This was something I was going to stick to.

"I didn't say you had to," Marie raises an eyebrow and smiles silently to herself. I had come to believe that she thought my life was a soap opera, and she was the number one viewer.

I turn back to my books and try to concentrate on the words in front of me. Meiosis. Mitosis. Independent Assortment. The words dance around my brain like snowflakes, but none seem to make sense. When I finally start to regain my focus, I'm interrupted again by a knock on the door.

I don't make any move to get up. It wasn't for me at this hour, it must have been one of Marie's friends come to drop off something.

"Who's that?" Marie asks, and I realize that maybe I'm wrong. I shrug my shoulders and Marie rises to open the door. I turn my head back into my book, realizing I had far more work left to do than I had originally thought.

I hear Marie faintly open the door. "Alexia" she calls to me, and I look to see none other than the bright blue eyes of Louis Tomlinson standing outside our door.


	38. Chapter 38

"I think I'll just go down to the lobby for a bit," Marie says and slowly inches out the door past Louis.

Louis steps inside and the door closes with a slam signaling a silence.

"What are you doing here?" I say with annoyance. The fact that he had already wasted so much of my night and then had the nerve to show up unannounced had gotten my blood boiling.

"Alexia.....I..." Louis looks at me with apologetic eyes. I pretend they aren't digging deep into my soul everytime I caught a glimpse of them. I cut him off before he can begin his lame excuses and apologies. I didn't have time for that.

"So you think you can just show up here after wasting hours of my time tonight and everything will be better? You think you can just say you're sorry and that it won't happen again and that I will instantly forgive you?" I stand up from my chair now, inching closer to Louis, my confidence growing with every angry word that shoots from my mouth.

"Do you think, Louis Tomlinson, that your time is more valuable than mine? That I will just allow myself to continually be walked over by you?" My voice grows to a level where I know our conversation can be heard outside in the hallway. I don't care. Louis needed to understand how completely unacceptable his behavior was. 

"Why-"

"Alexia," Louis interrupts me before I can blast him with more of my fury. He steps towards me, close enough so I can see the blue of his eyes clearly, but a safe distance from me and my emotional instability. 

"Just listen for a moment, please," he reaches out a hand and brushes the edges of my fingertips. I try to ignore the tingling feeling that spreads up my arm as our bodies connect. My heartbeat begins to slow after hearing the desperation in his voice. I'd give him a moment nothing more. 

"I proper fucked up Alexia. I really did. And I know that no apology or excuse makes up for the fact that I stood you up tonight, and I know that you have every right to be angry with me and obviously you are," he glances over to read the expression on my face. I keep my mouth in a stoic straight line. "You know I've never been good with time management or even prioritizing my studies. You see we have a big game coming up, the division championships actually, and I've been really trying to put my effort into that."

Louis' voice seems sincere, but he was quite the actor with this kind of stuff, so I wasn't quite sure that I believed it. "So you had soccer on the brain? That's the reason why you couldn't remember we needed to work on the project." I say with disgust in my voice. Couldn't he have come up with something better than that? Even "I slept through my alarm" would have been a better excuse. 

"No, well some of it. See we had practice tonight, and coach has been pushing us really hard to give 100%. And you know with me being captain and everything he expects so much out of me. Practice went over and then coach kept some of us to keep working and it wasn't until after we finally left that I realized I hadn't even let you know that I was going to be late." Louis runs his hand through his hair, and then looks up to make more direct eye contact with me. It was a little intimidating if I was being completely honest. 

"I'm really terribly sorry that I didn't let you know. That was beyond shitty of me to do, and honestly I understand why you are so upset with me. Alexia I really hope you will believe me when I say that I completely apologize for the time that you must have spent there waiting for me. I know that's not enough, and that doesn't make up for lost time, but I hope you'll accept this ice cream as a peace offering." It's only then that I notice the brown paper bag he is holding in his right hand. 

"Louis, you have to understand how frustrating this is to me. Some of us are taking this course for our future, and some of us care about how we do. God knows why you are taking it, but for me its nothing something I can just ignore when soccer seems more important." I let my frustrations out on Louis. Ice cream and an apology wasn't going to fix the obvious lack of interest Louis had for the class. A lack of interest that was going to impact my lab grade none-the-less. 

"To pay for my college." Louis half mutters under his breath.

"What?" I ask, confused by this random statement.

"You asked why I'm taking Chemistry and I said its to pay for my college. It's a requirement for my scholarship of sorts." He looks down at the ground as he says this, as if having a scholarship was something to be ashamed of. 

"Well anyway, I have work to get done, so if you'll excuse me I need to focus on my studies." My voice hitches slightly at the thought of being so coarse with him, but I figured Louis of all people could handle a little sass. 

"I really am sorry," he says again, handing me the bag of ice cream and heading towards the door. He lingers for a moment, as if he is waiting me to suddenly tell him everything is fine and that he is my favorite person in the entire world. I don't.

"Goodnight Louis." I say signaling to him that it was time to go.

"Goodnight Alexia," he says as the door closes behind him. I pull out the pint of ice cream and dig  in my spoon. Never had a peace offering tasted so sweet.


	39. Chapter 39

**Alexia POV**

"And he even brought her ice cream. Can you believe that?" Marie babbles on to Zayn. She couldn't get over the fact that Louis had come to our room to apologize after missing a study session, I, however, could very much get over the fact. I was still hurt by the whole incident, and Louis and I had returned to a very professional relationship. No study dates in our futures.

"Obviously that wasn't the gesture that Alexia was looking for." Zayn says looking over to me. I shrug. 

"Should we get going to the stadium soon? I want to make sure we get a good seat." I say, trying to change the conversation to something not so focused on me and my tumultuous relationship with Louis Tomlinson.

"Really invested in this soccer game suddenly?" Marie teases.

"No, but it is the championship game, its going to be busy." Zayn nods his head in agreement and we gather our belongings to walk towards the stadium. The air is unusually warm for late November, but I'm not complaining, it was the perfect day to sit on the bleachers. 

We arrive at the stadium and find seats about five rows up. Close enough to see the game, but hopefully far enough away to avoid an flying soccer balls. For an hour until the game starts there are tons of people here, and for once I am actually glad that I convinced my friends to come out early. 

"Concession stand?" I ask, and everyone nods in agreement. I was going to need something to keep me entertained throughout this game. We make our way back up the steep stairs of the stadium and towards the concession stand. Its only when we are waiting in line that I realize we are standing behind the black warm-up suits of the entire soccer team. 

"Alexia, imagine seeing you here," I stiffen at the sound of Niall's voice and I feel my heartbeat faster as he turns around to face me. Hate was a strong word, and it wasn't that it hated Niall. But I don't think you can ever particularly like someone who cheated on you practically in front of you. Niall would forever bring a taste of disgust to my mouth.

"Niall," I say politely but hoping to give the impression that this was not a conversation that I wanted to continue. He doesn't get the hint.

"So come to cheer on your favorite player in the championship game?" He says with a smirk that makes my stomach coil.

"Just came to watch the game," I reply stoically. It's obvious that Niall hasn't lost any of his charm since we broke up. 

"Oh c'mon, Alexia you don't have to be so cold. We never really did talk about it. We should sometime really. We were good together you know," he flashes his pearly white teeth. 

I'm not sure what to respond to that and I definitely want to get out of the situation, but unfortunately the line has nearly doubled since we've been standing here and a bag of popcorn is calling my name. He'll get the hint if I just stop responding to him right? There's no need to put on a big show because that's exactly what he wants. 

"C'mon Horan, leave the girl alone." My internal monologue is interrupted by a familiar British accent. I turn to see Louis walking back from the concession window, Gatorade in hand. 

"Ah Tommo, just having a little chat. It's been a while and we are just catching up." Niall replies back snarkily. I can still sense the tension between the two of them. 

"Sounded to me like Alexia isn't in the mood to catch up. Besides whatcha doing chattin' up a girl before the big game. Gotta stay focused mate." Louis catches my gaze as he walks away but I stay silent. Niall immediately turns around and stops talking to me, which I am thankful for. 

I'm surprised Marie can hold it in her for as long as she does, because as soon as we arrive back in our seats she's as energetic as always.

"What was that all about?"

Zayn rolls his eyes. I can't believe he's put up with us all semester. Especially with the amount of drama that seems to surround us on a daily basis.

"I don't know but thank God it's over." I sigh, hoping Marie will drop the topic.

"Louis stepping in like that, I think he really likes you Alexia." Marie adds. It has to be the thousandth time that she's said that to me, and honestly its gotten quite frustrating. If Louis liked me all that much he wouldn't screw me over half the time. If Louis liked me all that much I wouldn't being doing a constant balancing act between hating his guts and thinking he was a decent human being. Now this was just another thing for Marie to add to her compilation of things Louis has done that could be viewed as romantic gestures. 

I roll my eyes. "He hates Niall's guts that all it is." I grab a handful of popcorn and shove it in my mouth.

"See this is what she does, she denies all the attraction that's going on between the two of them. Its so obvious though." Marie says quietly and I hear Zayn chuckle to himself.

"I can hear you, you know." I say, shooting daggers through my eyes to my best friend. 

"That's the point." She responds with a sarcastic smile and I can't help but smile back, I really had my hands full with this one. 

"Mind if we squeeze in here?" I hear a familiar voice and turn to see Harry and Leah walking towards us.

"Of course." I respond, and they take a seat next to me. 

"Big game today huh" Harry says trying to make awkward small talk. I pray that he doesn't bring up anything about what happened between Louis and I recently. I need a different topic than that Brit for a while. 

"It is. Hopefully its a good one." 

"Lou said they were good, but that our team should have it in the bag. I guess one of the other team's star players got injured last week."

I try not to flinch at the mention of Louis. "Well that's too bad. I hope we do well!"

The players run out on the field and I try to not to focus on a familiar brunette head as the announcer comes over the loudspeaker.


	40. Chapter 40

**Louis POV**

The roar of the crowd as we jog into the stadium sends adrenaline through my veins. Today was a big day, a big game, and I was more focused than I had been before. I wanted nothing more than to turn this team into champions, and I felt that today was my day. 

The energy builds as my name is called and I step forward during team introductions. Its nearly exploding by the time we head to the coin toss. Niall and I high-five when we win the toss. There would be no bad blood between us today; we have the same end goal in mind. 

Winning a championship had been something I had dreamed of since I was a young lad. My father would tell me about his glorious days of playing club football, and the undefeated record his team had for many years. After just falling short of making it to the championship game last year, this year I was back with a vengeance. I wanted to feel that glory for myself, and I wanted to make my father proud of the footballer I'd become. 

With a season filled with more conflict and drama than I would have liked, a win today would be the icing on the cake. All I had to do was keep my focus on the game. 

As the game starts, I feel myself kick into high gear. The ball connects with my feet and I am weaving in and out of defenders. Passing the ball to my teammates and then having it connect back with me. We are only a few minutes in when I shoot for the first time and the ball swirls past the goalie's hands and hits the net with a beautiful swish. 

"GOAL!" The announcers voice yells overhead and I hear the crowd let out a roar. I smile to myself pleased with my performance. "Louis Tomlinson for the first score of the game."

"Nice one mate," Niall gives me a slap on the back, and I don't grimace or fume. This game was ours for certain. 

Grabbing a bottle of water from the sidelines, I let the cool liquid run down my throat. I glance over to the crowd and spot Harry. He gives me a thumbs up and I give him a shrug. My eyes shift slightly and I see Alexia sitting next to him, her face lit up in a wide smile as she is turned talking to Marie. 

I push the thought of her out of my mind. You didn't win championships with your mind caught up thinking about some girl. 

The first half goes spectacularly, and we lead 2-0 at the half. I'm out of breath and my heart is racing, but I'm feeling more confident than I ever have. This was my game to lose now. I just needed to keep my eyes on the prize.

We start the second half and I stay close to my opponent, finally managing to steal away the ball. I head back towards the goal, building momentum. I don't even see him coming until I feel the crack of my ankle as it twists as a collide with another person, followed by a blunt pain as my head collides with his shoulder. I feel the edges of my vision begin to blur and then everything is black.

**Alexia POV**

As much as I wasn't always a fan of soccer. This game was getting intense. Louis had just stolen the ball and I was at the edge of my seat anticipating him making the next goal, the goal that would most likely make us champions. Harry's thinking the same thing, as I see him sit forward on the bleachers, anticipating the stand to his feet that is sure to come at any moment.

That's when it happens, Louis is moving at full speed, headed straight towards another goal, when seemingly out of nowhere the defender collides with him. Louis is stopped abruptly in his tracks and his head has a sudden impact with his shoulder. The whole crowd goes silent as the star player falls to the ground. 

I hold my breath for a moment as I see the trainers run to the field to check up on Louis.

"Oh my god," Harry mutters under his breath, and I turn to see him running a hand through his curly brown hair. No one says anything for a moment, as we watch intently for some sign of what has just taken place on the field. 

"Okay he's up, he's up," I hear the concern in Harry's voice, but feel a slight sigh of relief when I see Louis slowly sit up with assistance. His hand clutching his head. 

"He's going to be okay" I hear Leah console her distraught boyfriend softly. For a reason I don't care to explain, I relate to Harry's level of concern. All Louis wanted to do was win this championship game and now here he was being walked off the field with a likely concussion and from the way he was hopping off the sidelines an ankle injury. 

Some part of me wants to run down there and make sure he's okay, find out what's going on and stay by his side until he's feeling better, but the rational part of me knows that's not my place. That was the place for a girlfriend or a best friend, neither of which I was to Louis. And so I would have to sit here, watching with concern like every other member of the crowd, until an announcement was made on his injury status. Then I would sit here, like every other person and continue to watch the game, hoping that this hadn't shaken the team enough to result in a loss. 

I don't even register the words of the announcer stating that Louis will not return to the game and that some freshman will take his place in the line-up. I don't even pay attention to the game as it starts back up again, and don't even feel a sense of disappointment when the opponents score another goal. My mind is only focused on Louis, and I wish that it wasn't.

"They are taking him to the hospital to get checked out. I'm going to meet him there." Harry announces, looking down at his phone. 

"Can you let us know how the game turns out?" Leah asks, as the couple stands.

"Of course, can you let me know how Louis is doing?" I say, and the words surprise me as they fall from my mouth. 

"Of course," Harry says with a smile that could almost be interpreted as a smirk.

"He's going to be fine Alexia, just a minor setback but its nothing serious." Marie says in an uncharacteristically supportive way. 

"I don't know why I am so concerned about it. I just feel for him you know?" I say and Marie nods. 

"When you are connected to someone, their pain becomes your own." Zayn muses, and as much as I hated to admit it, he was right- I was connected to Louis Tomlinson. 

 

 


	41. Chapter 41

**Louis POV**

As the world slowly comes back into focus all I can think is about how we are going to lose the game. We were doing so well and I had to go and screw it up. My head is pounding faster than my own heartbeat and my ankle is throbbing. I have a feeling that when I go to stand, needles will shoot up my leg. 

"Hold on for a second Louis," Bruce, our trainer, says as he rushes to my side. "What hurts?"

"My head," I mumble, not realizing just how much pain I was in until I tried to speak. "And my ankle is throbbing." I see the flicker of worry in Bruce's eyes, the flicker that tells me there is no way I will be returning to this game. Bruce was at times one of our biggest fans, and like me, I knew he wanted nothing more than for us to win this championship game. 

"Okay Louis, we are going to sit you up slowly." Bruce and another trainer slowly help me sit up. The world spins a little as a slowly gain my bearings again at this elevated level. Bruce has me follow his finger with my eyes, something that was far more difficult for me to do than I could have imagined. 

"Okay, now we are going to stand, focus your weight on your good foot for me." I am pulled to my feet. I try and test the waters, setting me foot down on the turf. Pain shoots up my leg. I hobble to the sidelines to the applause of the crowd, the soft polite kind of applause not the applause that you want to receive as an athlete. 

Bruce examines my ankle, and I try to keep a straight face even when I feel as if my leg is on fire. "So Louis, you aren't going to like me very much, but we need to take you to a doctor to get looked at. You have multiple symptoms of a concussion and that's just something I can't let wait until after the game." I sigh. This had turned into a proper mess. I nod my head in agreement, and allow Bruce's help in being escorted to the school van. 

I shoot Harry a text to let him know where I'm headed, but also mostly so that I knew he would keep me updated on the game. 

Five doctors, an X-ray, a splint, and a few pain meds later, I am sitting in the hospital bed of the local ER hoping for a green light to go home when Harry walks through the door. 

"Hey mate" I say slowly, realizing I was far more affected from the pain meds than I originally thought. 

"Hey Lou" Harry responds and comes to the edge of my bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Worse than a night of being totally pissed if I'm being honest," I respond and Harry laughs. 

"A concussion will do that to you unfortunately." Harry looks around the room, and I can tell his medical brain is searching for some signs of diagnoses and discharge plans. I guess being raised by two doctors has that effect on you. 

"So what's the verdict?" He asks, looking back at me.

"I have a concussion, so I'll have to be laid up for a few days. Broke my ankle so I get to run around with crutches for the next four weeks and then a boot for a few. Football season is over for me I guess." I cringe at the thought that I won't be playing football for weeks. I would fall so far beyond without my daily workouts. 

"You'll be fine Tommo" Harry says as if reading my mind.

"I didn't say I wouldn't" I banter back. 

"Maybe you didn't say it, but you were most definitely thinking it." Harry smirks. "Four weeks in the offseason isn't going to make you lose your role as team captain."

I shrug. He was probably right. But the thought of an arse like Niall spending four weeks leading the team in post-season workouts made my blood boil. I just hoped they hadn't been fools enough to lose the game in my absence.

"Is the game over then?" I ask, hoping that Harry will bring good news. 

"I don't know, left after you texted me to come here. Let me check to see if Alexia texted me." My eyebrows raise at the mention of her name and Harry catches on.

"I asked her to keep me updated," he explains.  He looks down at his phone and a smile forms on his face.

"Well looks like they didn't screw it up after all. We won 3-1." I feel a sense of excitement elevated by my drug induced state and a smile comes across my face. 

"Thank god." I say with a sigh and Harry laughs. "See Lou nothing to worry about."

Harry's phone dings again and he looks down on it with a smirk. "What are you over there smirking about?" I ask him.

"Oh its nothing really," Harry says in that teasing tone of his. "Just a text from someone asking how you are."

"Someone like who?" I ask, already very well knowing the answer. There was only one person that could have texted Harry asking about me that would have given rise to a response like that. 

"Alexia. When are you going to make that happen mate?" Harry shakes his head.

"She hates my guts Harry, that's never going to happen." I respond. Alexia and I were not going to be on good terms anytime soon, and her sending a text asking about how I was doing was no doubt just a formality. A case of her simply trying to be nice-because that's the kind of person she was-nice.

"If you really believe that, you aren't as smart as I thought you were Lou. Its clear as day." I don't respond. Harry didn't understand the complexity of what was going on between us, and now was not the time to have a heart to heart on the matter.

"Let's see if we can get you out of here." Harry says and the subject is dropped.


	42. Chapter 42

**Alexia POV**

"Is it too much?" I glance in the mirror at my bold red dress and black heels and then turn to face Marie.

"You look gorgeous Alexia. Very festive." Marie replies.

"Well so do you." I respond, noting how the evergreen color of Marie's dress brings out the color of her eyes.

"I feel like such an adult dressing like this. You're sure we aren't too formal?" Marie asks.

It was true this was far from the attire I would usually wear for a college party, but Harry had told me that this holiday party was on the formal side. I mean considering it was at his parents house and all it had to be nice.

"Positive. I even had Leah check our outfits." I fluff my hair in the mirror before spritzing it with another cloud of hairspray.

"Do you think he'll be there?"

"Do I think who will be there?" I ask, acting oblivious to the question. I know who she's asking about because the same question had been running through my mind all day. 

"Louis." She responds quickly.

"Don't know. Probably depends on how his ankle's doing " I keep any sense of emotion away from my words. I didn't want to see Louis tonight, at least that's what I was telling myself.

But deep down there was a part of me that wanted to see him. He hadn't been in class since the game, and I'd be lying if I didn't say that some piece of me wanted to see how he was doing.

Marie doesn't mention Louis again as we make our way to the Styles' house. Snowflakes were lightly falling and I can't help but think about how crazy it is that my first semester of college is nearly coming to a close. Things were so different now than what they were that first day of orientation. I was so different.

Stepping into the house was like stepping into a Winter Wonderland. The walls were draped with garland and red bows and a Christmas tree that seemed to almost reach the ceiling stood in the center of the room. I was in awe. Christmas carols played softly in the background and I smiled as Harry approached us with a glass of champagne in his hand.

"Alexia, Marie, glad you could make it," he gives us a soft nod.

"Thanks for having us." I chime back, glancing around the room to see who was here. Not that I really could see, the place was packed.

"Of course. Drinks are in the back, food is circulating around. Make yourself at home."

I give Harry another smile as Marie and I hang our coats in the coat room. I try to subtly scan the room for a sign of Louis,  but don't have much luck.

Marie nudges me with her forearm as we push our way through the crowd towards the drinks. "Psst" she whispers in my ear and I turn to face her. She looks flushed and nervous and I know what she is going to say before the words leave her mouth. She's acted like this before, and its only in the presence of one person. 

"Liam's here. Over there." I turn to look and she quickly pulls me back to face her. "Don't look over there he'll see you."

"And I'm guessing Sophia is there with him?" Sometimes I had to be the realist in this friendship, and the fact of the matter was Liam and Marie's sister were very much still a couple, no matter how much she tried to ignore it. Marie gives a sad nod.

"Let's go get some wine." I say and pull my friend towards the mass amounts of classy alcohol found in the Style's dining room. With rose in our hands we would be much better prepared to scope out the situation. 

Leah runs into us before we have a moment to sit down. "I was hoping you'd be here tonight," she says opening her arms to give me a hug.

"Wouldn't miss it." I say with a smile.

"Have you talked to Louis?" She asks suddenly. It takes me aback at first, as Leah had never been one to be involved in the drama between Louis and I. I hadn't even thought she knew all that much. Apparently I was wrong. I see Marie look at me from the corner of her eye to check for my reaction, I keep my face solid.

"No I haven't. He's here?" I scan the room and finally see the brunette boy sitting on a couch across the room, the metal of his crutches reflecting the light. I look away before we can meet eye contact. 

"He's across the way. He was asking if you would be here tonight you know. Now I know you have your reasons for shutting him down, but he has quite been himself lately. I was hoping maybe the two of you could chat. Maybe it would cheer him up?"

I ponder the request for a moment. Although I had vowed to never again speak to Louis, I hadn't to see him hurt: physically or emotionally. Why that was I couldn't explain, but maybe with a few glasses of wine I could get over our differences for a few minutes. Who was I kidding, I didn't want to stay away from him for the rest of the semester. I couldn't actually- not with  the deadline of our final project fast approaching. 

"Okay." I say, and I see Marie's face look shocked. Leah's face fills with joy. "Thank you so much Alexia, it really means a lot. I'll have him come over here."

"Oh really that won't be necessary, I can walk over there and say hello."

"No really it's fine." I see Leah give a nod to someone in the distance and see Harry. Harry walks towards Louis on the couch. This was planned out all along, like some middle school set-up. 

"I don't understand why we couldn't just do this later Harry. These crutches aren't really the most comfortable things you know. I.." Louis stops talking to his friend and looks up at me. Its a look of awe at first, a look I haven't seen him give me before. His face quickly becomes passive.

"Hi Alexia." He says softly. He looks at me with anticipation, and I realize he is probably waiting for me to blow-up at him like I have so many times during recent encounters. 

"Hi Louis, how are you doing?" I motion towards the crutches that are keeping him on his one good foot.

"Been better if I'm being honest love." He responds. The word love sends shivers down my spine. Its a word that I haven't heard for a while, and I realize that it probably was a good thing that I haven't. That word could put me under a spell if I didn't have self-control. 

I laugh awkwardly, not sure of what to say or what exactly Leah and Harry wanted out of this whole exchange.

"Wanna go somewhere else? Its rather loud in here and although I really do appreciate the crutches they aren't the nicest things to be stuck up me armpits." Louis says.

"Sure." I respond and Louis motions up the stairs. He takes them slowly, gripping the railing and hopping along. I give him a questioning look, not sure if Harry would like us up here. Then I remember the last time we were both in this house. The time that Louis almost made me cry. 

"Here we are." Louis says and he plops down on a bed. I stare at the room, the flag of a soccer team displayed against the wall. Some trophies from activities I couldn't quite make out. 

"Are you sure Harry's okay with us being in his room?" I ask, standing awkwardly unsure of whether I should sit down on someone else's bed. 

Louis looks at me, his deep blue eyes showing their sincerity. Its only then that I recognize how truly handsome he looks in this moment, with his black suit and red tie. He cleans up well. His eyes shift as if he is deciding  what to say, a moment of hesitation.

"It's not Harry's room, love. It's mine."


	43. Chapter 43

**Louis POV**

The look she gives me stops me dead in my tracks. Maybe I shouldn't have said it. Maybe I should have kept on pretending.

"What?" Alexia's voice is filled with confusion, like she's been hit with a plot twist she never saw coming.

"It's mine. This room." I say again slowly, hoping I didn't just make a huge mistake. A secret like this one could start all kinds of problems. A secret like this one could change my reputation forever- it could even change Harry's.

"I heard you." She says taking a seat on the bed next to me and looking down at her hands as if searching for her next sentence among them.

"Well aren't you going to ask me about it?" I say after we sit for a few minutes in uncomfortable silence. I wish I was a mind reader, because I had no idea what was going on in the mind of the girl in front of me.

I see her mind racing through the face she's making. The way she pulls her lip between her teeth like she always does when she is thinking. She shakes her head no and I watch her chest rise and fall as she takes a deep breath.

I don't like this silence. So I interrupt it with the only thing I could think of. "Thanks for sending me the notes while I was gone. You were kinda my Chemistry savior."

She laughs softly, revealing the glow on her face she gets when she let's her happiness shine through.

"Well, I don't know about savior." She looks up at me, and for a moment I feel like we are back to the way we were weeks ago. When we were friends that could share a laugh or stargaze on the field. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't fall behind. You know how Dr. Smithson can be."

"You mean a pain in the arse." I say with a laugh.

"Exactly....how are you?" It's the question I'd heard relentlessly since I'd been injured. The question that people never seemed to really want the answer to. The courtesy that everyone felt they needed to give a poor lad on crutches.

"Been better honestly. Doctors expect a full recovery but that doesn't give me back that championship game." I sigh. The truth was the injury had been more of a bruise on my ego than any physical ailment. Football had been my life for so long, and feeling like the one thing I was always good at wasn't attainable for a while was killing me inside.

"You feel like your falling behind." Alexia says as if she is reading my mind.

"Something like that. Feel like I let the team down."

"You most definitely didn't let them down Louis." She reaches out a hand and sets it on my knee. Its unexpected but I don't flinch. "They wouldn't have won that game without you."

I give her a soft smile. This encouragement was foreign territory coming from Alexia, and I wonder if it's the wine hitting her a little too much.

"Louis I..." She looks at me with her sparkling green eyes, the one's that reflect a forest of emotion. The air is heavy, the vulnerability of the moment hanging between us. "I'm sorry about how I acted the other day. I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that. Not for something so silly."

"You were right to be angry. It was a jerk move, I should have let you know."

"But you came and apologized. And you meant it, I know that you did. So I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't accept your apology and held onto it for so long. You didn't deserve that. It was an honest mistake."

"Thank you." I say, feeling as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Although I couldn't be entirely sure that Alexia would be as forgiving in the morning, it felt good that at least for the night, she wasn't hating my guts.

"I don't know what it is about you Louis Tomlinson, but you bring out the worst in me." Alexia laughs with an eyebrow raised.

"And you, Alexia, bring out the best in me." I smile back. I look at the woman in front of me, a far different woman from the one I had been paired with on the first day of classes. That Alexia was a girl, a child. The Alexia who stared back at me with her emerald eyes now was a confident woman, a woman who stood up for herself. She was a woman who had been heartbroken and had formed a protective shell around herself. A shell that caused her to be on the defense.

But underneath that shell was a woman whose smile could make my day. Whose laugh could warm a room and whose kindness could change lives. The Alexia I had gotten to know could be vulnerable and sincere. She had goals and aspirations, but had finally learned to let loose every once in a while.

The girl that sat before me was beautiful in every sense of the word. The bright red of her dress perfectly complementing the light brown color of her hair. My eyes are drawn to her lips, the burgundy of her lipstick popping out from the rest of her face. The words slip out of my mouth before I can stop them.

"You look beautiful tonight." I whisper, instinctively leaning a little bit closer to Alexia.

"You don't look bad yourself," she says back, voice quiet. We pause for a moment, each of us thinking about what could happen. What was about to happen. I start to lean closer, and feel the warmth of Alexia's breath, our lips nearly touching.

_Ringggggg!!_

Alexia jumps back at the sound of her phone ringing obnoxiously.

"Sorry I better take that." She says quickly and I can tell by the flush in her cheeks that she's embarrassed that this just happened.

Was that really going to happen? Were we really about to kiss? That was just what we needed to complicate our strange friendship even more. Maybe it was for the best that her phone went off at just the right moment.

"It's Marie. I guess there's a bit of an issue going on downstairs with Liam," she rolls her eyes.

"I guess you better go take care of that then" I say, hopping to my feet and grabbing my crutches.

"Yep, duty calls" she responds with a smile. She's silent for a moment, as if she's thinking. "See you later?" She asks, as she begins to walk out of the room.

"Of course." I say, following behind her all well trying to figure out what all of this means.


	44. Chapter 44

**Alexia POV**

"What's got you all hot and bothered?" Marie asks as I rush down the stairs to see what is going on.

"Nothing." I say quickly, wondering what on earth my face looks like to have Marie asking questions. Of course I was hot and bothered, I just about kissed Louis Tomlinson in what I just found out was his bedroom in Harry Styles house. I just about did something that would have changed how Louis looked at me for the rest of the semester. I was saved by the bell I guess.

Marie gives me the look she always does when she isn't convinced of my answers. I give in.

"I'll tell you later. Now what's the situation?" I survey the room for Liam and Sophia. Sometimes I wished my friend wasn't so enthralled with her sister's boyfriend. It would save us a lot of drama, and my moment with Louis wouldn't be ruined. But Marie was Marie and as much as she'd been there for me this year, I was going to be there for her. Even if it all was a little crazy and complicated and not quite thought out.

"So Sophia left. She stormed out. I don't know what happened but I think she and Liam got in an argument and now Liam is crazy trashed and I feel like we should do something." Marie's words fly out of her mouth almost too fast for my ears to catch. 

"And what do you think you are going to do Marie? This isn't some friend of yours. This is your sister's boyfriend who you just happen to be madly in love with," I whisper harshly in her ear. This was just the kind of thing Marie shouldn't be doing. Getting involved with Sophia's business was not going to make their relationship any stronger from what I knew about it. 

"We can't just let him fend for himself. We have to get him home or something." Marie looks desperate.

"You don't think that's crossing a line?" I muse, although of all people I shouldn't be the one questioning my friend on crossing a line-especially when it came to helping out drunk almost strangers. 

"Sophia can be a real pain sometimes. Liam deserves better than that. I'm just helping him out so she doesn't regret it in the morning." Marie says, but I know she's having a hard time convincing herself that she is doing this simply as a favor to her older sister and not because she is secretly in love with Liam Payne.

"Well then what are we going to do?" I ask, looking towards my friend.

"Let's try to get him out of here. C'mon." She motions to me and we head to where Liam appears to now be passed out on the couch. I pray to God Marie doesn't think we are carrying the man out of here.

"Liam," Marie says softly shaking the man in front of her. He stirs and looks at her.

"Sophia?" he asks confused. I see Marie's face cringe for a moment as being confused with her sister.

"No, it's Marie" she says quickly. Liam's drunken face thinks for a moment and then flashes with recognition. 

"Oh, Sophia's little sis. What are you doing here Marie? Where's Sophia, I need to apologize to her," Liam slurs. My heart aches for my friend. I'm not sure what made her think this was going to be a good idea, but it was already going south. 

"Sophia ditched you Liam. But you need to get home, you're a bit tipsy."

"I'm fine." Liam says as he starts to sit up but struggles to get to his feet without gripping the couch. Marie lets out a giggle. 

"You most definitely are not." 

"Hey now Marie, don't make fun of the elders." Liam fights back through his slow words. He takes a step forward but nearly falls down. 

"Here, we'll help you." Marie says offering her shoulder for Liam to lean on. She motions to me with her head to offer my shoulder and with hesitation I do, hoisting Liam up like he's some injured athlete leaving the field. 

"Who are you?" Liam says in my face and I'm taken aback by the harsh scent of liquor on his breath. 

"This is my friend Alexia."

"Knew you looked familiar. You're that freshman Tomlinson left Erica for." I feel heat rise in my cheeks. Was that a rumor circulating around? Because it was far from the truth.

"Louis and Alexia aren't dating." Marie butts in quickly, sensing my discomfort. 

"Just what Erica said. I don't mess around in all the dating politics." Liam states and I can't help but laugh at the fact that Liam Payne is talking to us about who is dating who. He really was out of it. 

I see Louis out of the corner of my eye as we walk towards the door. I try and turn my head away before he can see us, but I'm not quick enough. He hobbles over to us, a rather confused look in his eyes.

"Do you guys need some help?" He asks looking concerned. I'm sure the sight was rather hysterical, us trying to carry a man much larger than the two of us across campus. 

"I think we are okay. Thanks Louis." I say with a smile. My mind flashes back to the almost moment we shared earlier, but I shake it from my mind before it can stick. 

"If you need help let me know." I look down at his crutches and raise an eyebrow. "I'll summon one of the guys." I give him a nod and Marie and continue our effort of hosting Liam along, only setting him down to grab our coats.

"Umm, are you and Louis speaking again?" Marie asks as we throw on our winter gear. 

"I guess so..." I mumble, trying not to reveal to much to my friend.

"So he's the reason. Something happened. You have to tell me." She says eyes filled with excitement. 

"Let's take care of problem number one first," I say pointing to Liam looking drunk as ever on the bench across from us. "Your star-crossed lover."

Marie rolls her eyes at me as we hoist Liam back up and help him back to safety of his own home. 

***********************


	45. Chapter 45

**Alexia POV**

"I'm going to work on the project with Louis, I'll probably be late so don't wait up for me." I call out to Marie as I sling my backpack over my shoulder and zip up my coat. We had three days left before our final project was due for chemistry class and the deadline was biting us in the heels. Stress was at an all time high. Was this what college students meant when they said all they did was study and eat?

Louis and I had decided to meet in the Science Lounge, a secluded spot at the top of Peterson Hall that was rarely used. I hadn't even known about it until Harry mentioned it once in passing, and since then it had become my getaway. A small lounge space with a large glass window overlooking campus, it was the perfect place to take yourself away from the world, while looking on at all the action at the same time. 

I'm surprised to see Louis already seated at the table, lab notebook and computer strewn across the table. "Hey" he says, looking up with a soft smile as I reach the top of the stairs.

"Hi" I say back, happy to see that this was going to be a productive evening. 

"Ready for this all-nighter?" Louis says with a smirk.

"Well I'm hoping that it won't be an all-nighter." I sigh, throwing my backpack to the ground and gathering my things. 

Louis scoffs. "Hollaway I'm a bit offended that you would speak so lowly about spending the night with me." I feel my cheeks redden at Louis' comment and look away until I feel the flush dissipate. 

"Guess you'll just have to deal with a bruise to the ego then." I strike back, proud of myself for making such a bold comeback.

"Well, let's get to business then," Louis says bringing up the page that currently housed the results of our research project. We get to work, crunching numbers, writing analyses, compiling a research summary. Louis is fully involved and I can't help but think about that day all those months earlier when Zayn told me how awful it would be to get Louis Tomlinson as a lab partner. 

I can't help but think about how awful it was to get Louis Tomlinson as a lab partner. And how uninterested and disengaged he had been for the first part of the semester. The Louis I was working with now, who was so diligently creating the graphs from our data results was a totally different Louis than I had been so fatefully paired with at the beginning of the semester. The Louis I watched now, hunched over his computer, brown brows furrowed in thought was someone I enjoyed spending time with, not someone who made me feel like I was six inches tall. 

"What are you looking at?" Louis's voice throws me out of my thoughts and I avert my eyes realizing I had been staring. 

"Nothing." I say, glancing back down at my laptop, pretending I hadn't been contemplating our entire relationship as lab partners. 

"Bullshit Alexia, you were staring straight at me. Don't think I can't feel your eyes boaring holes in my skull. What?" My lips form a smile, he knew me too well.

"Just thinking about how far we've come since that first day of lab," I muse.

"You hated my guts and were one of the most annoying people I'd ever met." Louis smirks.

I roll my eyes. "I was offended that the person with "similar ability" as me was the kid that failed the class last year. I still wonder that you know, how we ended up being paired together out of all people."

"Failure doesn't mean a lack of ability, Alexia. You know that." My mind flashes back to the low point of my semester, the moment that I let my outside life dictate my academic one, and coincidentially the moment that I began to see that Louis wasn't all bad. 

"So you are saying...."

"I'm saying that I was an excellent student before college. Had a near perfect ACT and was right behind Harry at the top of our class. My freshman year was just rough you know. I lost myself along the way, and got way too caught up with being the cool kid to care about my grades. I guess it was my way of rebelling a little bit, to show that I was my own person and I didn't need anyone to look after me."

I look at Louis, a person with more layers than I could ever have imagined. I can see the struggle though, my first semester had been all about making choices that my parents would doubtfully have agreed with. 

"But this semester I think I've gotten a little bit of my old self back you know. I don't know how but I have." Louis continues, but I can tell his face is far off in thought. I sigh for a moment, not sure what to say.

"Well for the record, I'm glad we were paired up. It wouldn't have been the same semester without you." I say softly, hardly believing that the words could come out of my mouth.

"Me too," Louis says with a smile. We dive back into our work for the next hour. Only speaking to clarify information or to give an update on where we were at. My eyes begin to draw tired, and I stand to stretch to regain some energy. 

"Shall we take a break for a bit?" Louis asks, noticing my movement. I nod my head and take a seat on the red sofa on the side, Louis follows suit and sits beside me. 

I stare ahead, my mind flashing back to the night at Harry's just a few days earlier. I still had so many unanswered questions from that night. Was now an appropriate time to ask all of that? I sigh, and decide there wasn't going to be a better opportunity. 

"Why do you have a room at Harry's?" I turn and see Louis's lips turn up into his signature smirk, almost as if he knew I was about to ask that question. 

"Its a long story Alexia" He says with a laugh.

"I have plenty of time Louis. Humor me." Louis nods.

"I knew you'd ask eventually."  
  
  
  
  



	46. Chapter 46

**Louis POV**

I knew that it would come up again. You don't just reveal something like having a bedroom at the Styles house to a person like Alexia and not expect to get some sort of questioning. Three months ago, the thought of sharing my story with someone, someone that didn't already know, would have angered me. I'd always said the past is in the past, and it should stay that way, locked up in the darkness. But something about Alexia had always made sharing the deepest parts of me okay. Something about her made me feel safe and not judged. Something about her made me be me. 

"Where do I start?" I say running a hand through my hair. It was one of those questions that wasn't so much of a question as a thought. The kind of question you say out loud even though there really isn't an answer.

"Well, if you haven't figured it out by now I'm British," I say with a laugh. 

"Wow, I had no idea," Alexia says sarcastically. Her smile lights up her face and gives me the strength to continue. 

"It was a good life. Me, me mum, me dad and me sister Lottie. The Styles family had been friends of our parents for as long as I could remember. They were doctors over in England for a while, and from as early as grade school Harry and I were best buds. We did everything together, even played footie if you can imagine Harry doing that." I laugh at my memory of my curly-haired friend kicking the football across the green fields of my backyard. 

"The Styles moved away when I was ten. Anne got a great new job at a hospital in America, and they were ready to be closer to family." I glance at Alexia to see her face. Its focused on me and I can see her eyes processing it all, trying to put all the pieces together. 

"One day, when I was twelve, my parents went out for a big work party. Me dad was a big time executive at some office, and every year they had this big Christmas celebration. They told Lottie and I not to wait up, that they would be back late, and so we went to bed watching the snow fall that night." I sigh for a moment and feel the familiar ache in my chest when I thought of this moment. 

Alexia reaches over and sets her hand on top of mine, giving me a look of reassurance to go on. Her touch sends tingles up my arm, but with lingering warmth. 

"I always remember thinking how beautiful that snow was that night. How peaceful and gorgeous it was. But I guess it's the most beautiful things that can destroy us." I bite my lip and look down for a moment. Not sure if I was ready to share the next part of my story with another person. 

"I was woken up by a knock at the door and the flashing of lights. They had come to tell us that our parents-my mum and my dad, had been in a terrible accident. A crash as a result of the snowstorm, and that they didn't make it. They were dead."

Alexia looks at me, and her eyes show the words that she can't say. "Louis, I..." she gives me a squeeze of the hand. "I'm sorry I had no idea."

"Thank you," I say, taking a deep breath to try and breathe the pain away. I hadn't thought about that moment for so long. The moment that had defined who I had become. I look to Alexia, her face filled with concern and caring, and I knew it was going to be okay. I decide I can continue this, I can finish what I started.

"And so the Styles came, and the offered to take Lottie and I to live with them, being our godparents and all. We didn't have much family otherwise. And I had always wanted to live in America ya know, and so I was all for it. Lottie, though, she didn't want to leave home. So Lottie went with some distant aunt and has been there ever since."

"Do you talk to her still? Your sister?" Alexia asks.

"Not as often as I'd like to." I say softly, but knowing it had been far worse than that. As we had gotten older, consumed with our own lives, Lottie and I had grown more and more distant. And although the Styles had offered on multiple occasions to fly me out to visit her, I was ashamed to admit that I didn't think I was strong enough to return to the place that had so many bad memories for me.

"So that's why you live with the Styles? They are sort of your guardians." Alexia says softly, as if clarifying that she had heard the story correctly. 

I nod my head. "And that's why I have to take chemistry, its a condition of the Styles paying for my college education."

I see the light go off in Alexia's head. "And that's why you failed the first time, because you wanted to show them that you were indpendent, that you didn't need them." 

"Something like that." I say. "Don't get me wrong, they've always been good to me, better than good. But I didn't want everything handed to me, and I didn't want to be the rich kid anymore, so I got to college and changed my own story."

"It makes sense now. You make sense now," she says looking me deep in the eyes.

"I've never told anyone let before." I say quietly, feeling the gap between where I am sitting and where Alexia is sitting grow smaller. 

"Not even Harry?" She whispers.

"Not even Harry," I reply. My eyes are fixed on her green ones now, both of us gazing into the soul of the other. I feel a connection to Alexia that I hadn't felt before, one that came from being the most vulnerable I have ever been with someone before. 

"You are beautiful," the words slip out of my mouth and I reach my hand to Alexia's cheek cupping her chin with my hand. I instinctively lean closer and feel her do the same, the warmth of her breath on my face.

I glance down at her lips, pink and full and then back at her eyes. Then, without even thinking I lean in, my lips making contact with hers. A kiss full of emotion and attraction. Its soft and smooth, but passionate at the same time. Electricity flows from my lips to my body and I feel the sparks radiate through every part of my soul. As we pull away, Alexia looks away, but I can't help but notice the smile on her face. 

"We still have a lot to do," she says with a sigh. She grabs her notebook from the table and returns to the couch. I do the same. We get back to work, focusing at the job at hand, forgetting about the moment we had shared just minutes ago. As the night drags on Alexia begins to yawn, and before I know it I feel her head on my shoulder, looking down to see that she has passed out against my arm.

I grab the notebook from her arm and set it on the ground and set me own work now, letting Alexia's head rest on my chest as slumbered softly. 


	47. Chapter 47

**Alexia POV**

I'm awakened by the bright sunlight creeping in through the windows, its warmth burning my skin. Opening my eyes I realize something's different, I'm not in my bed, I'm not in my room and as I glance down I see that my head is nestled on Louis' chest.

Louis. Last night flashes through my mind. The story of his parents death. The explanation of his life with the Styles family. The kiss we shared.

The kiss. My lips still tingle with the feeling of his. I hadn't had a kiss like that before. I hadn't gotten that feeling with Niall, the feeling of my body on fire and ice running through my veins at the exact same time.

I look at Louis' face, peacefully in slumber, his lips relaxed, hair a bit rustled and head slumped against his neck.

I can't quite remember how we ended up in this position, but I would be lying if I didn't say I didn't find it at least somewhat enjoyable. I sit up slowly, not wanting to wake the slumbering Louis. What did all of this mean?

I glance down at my phone only to realize that I've missed one of my classes and I have ten minutes before the next one starts. I look back at Louis sound asleep next to me. Should I wake him? Should I just go on to class?

The mental pro and cons list goes on for a few minutes, but eventually I decide that I'll just leave him a small note. It was probably better this way, I wasn't ready to face him after the events of last night. After last night things would be different, things were different, and I wasn't sure I was ready to bring these differences into the light. 

I scribble a quick note on a yellow sticky note and set in on the couch next to Louis, then sneak off to my class, praying that no one remembers what I had on yesterday. 

The day drags on, and I find my mind constantly drifting to imagine a particular set of baby blue eyes. What had happened to me? I used to be so focused, so driven by my ambitions and my future that I wouldn't let even the smallest of distractions get in my way. 

And now look at me, I was sitting in class dreaming of a certain British boy who just may have stolen my heart. 

"Where were you last night?" Marie asks with a smirk that tells me she has already imagined some ridiculous scenario in her mind about how the previous night unfolded. 

"Working on our chemistry project." I say nonchalantly. 

"And did you sleep?" she laughs.

"I didn't have any intentions of falling asleep on a couch with my homework in my lap last night if that's what your asking, but yes I did get some sleep." I sigh. 

"And what happened?" Marie continues.

"What is this an interrogation?" I laugh.

"Well, you can't just look like your head is in the clouds Alexia and then not tell me what on earth is going on."

Did I look like my head was in the clouds? It surely felt that way, with my mind flashing to pictures of Louis every five seconds, the thought of him making my heart beat a little faster.

"We had a moment." I say trying to keep the emotion off of my face. It was far more than a moment though it was the culmination of many moments leading us to this point, and now it was an endless minute racing through my mind.

"Moment can mean a lot of things Alexia. Define "a moment"." Marie throws her hands up in air quotations and I sigh, unsure of how to explain this feeling to my friend.

"We just had this long talk, about his life and getting put together as lab partners and just how much the semester has changed us. And then, we kissed."

"About time" Marie says with a laugh. I give her a questioning look. "Oh c'mon Alexia you guys have had the whole quarreling lovers thing down to a science all semester. Eventually you were going to stop being so stubborn and release how entirely obvious the attraction between you two was to every but yourselves."

"It wasn't like that..." I trail off then glance at my roommate, "Was it?"

She nods and I roll my eyes. While I'd admit there had always been some sort of tension between Louis and I, I couldn't believe that it would come off as us being enamored with each other. It wasn't until recently that we had started to form a friendship, but before that I hated his guts.

Or had I been wrong? Resenting Louis for his every move and thinking he was one of the most arrogant human beings on the planet, was that just me trying to push away the feeling of attraction to him. It was true that Louis brought out a side of me that I had never seen before, but whether or not this side was a good one was something I hadn't quite decided on yet.

"So are you guys?" Marie doesn't finish the question because I know what she is asking even before the words leave her mouth.

"No. I don't know." I sigh. The question of what this all meant had been looping through my head all day. I would love to know the answer to that question right now.

"He didn't say anything about it this morning?" Marie questions.

"He was sleeping this morning." I say, picturing the slumbering Louis resting peacefully on the couch. He had looked so vulnerable, so sincere, so unlike the Louis I had first encountered all those weeks ago.

"Alexia Hollaway, please don't tell me you just got up and left like some one night stand."

I look down at the ground, in hindsight it wasn't the best move in the book, but in my defense I hadn't heard from Louis all day either, so maybe he was regretting opening up to me?

Now my mind was cycling a million miles a minute again, overthinking everything that had happened. I couldn't do this right now, I needed a break.

"Can we grab dinner? I'm starving." I attempt to avert the subject and it seems to work, because Marie nods.

"I'll text Zayn to meet us there." She begins to gather her things and I breathe a sigh of relief knowing the interrogation is over.

"But just so you know this conversation isn't over."

I guess I spoke too soon.


	48. Chapter 48

**Alexia POV**

A college cafeteria took on a whole different appearance around finals time. Students walked like zombies, with eyes surrounded by bags formed from one too many all-nighters. Food became the only source of comfort, and many students took advantage of the all-you-can-eat style buffet by filling whatever containers with food for later-not knowing when they would eat again. Perhaps my favorite scene from the cafeteria was the students who thought it was possible to both cram for their upcoming test and eat at the same time, an idea that rarely appeared to work out in their favor. 

Feeling the stresses of finals myself, I had mentally decided that I wouldn't allow our dinner trip to take as long as usual. Zayn had a habit of trapping us in intense philosophical conversations of which neither Marie nor I could follow. 

We take our usual seat, a booth in the back corner and Zayn slides in beside me. "How are you surviving?"

"Ehh," I shrug my shoulders, surviving was a good way  of describing it, I definitely could benefit from a few weeks of sleep at this point. 

"I'm starving," Marie adds, and we take this as the cue to go up and find some food. 

It's when I'm walking towards the pizza line that I see him. Standing there in his black Adidas track suit hand ruffling through his hair as he waits in the salad line. A sense of awkwardness falls over me. Louis was the last person I wanted to see right now, what would I say, what would he say? Last night had to have been a fluke, and if I dwelled on it know it would confuse me. I didn't need that kind of confusion in my life right now. 

It's as I pass that I make eye contact. I try not to think about the blue eyes that I know are staring at me. I try not to think about the pink lips that are likely forming words that will  make my heart beat out of my chest. I quicken my pace to the line, but apparently my pace isn't quick enough. I feel a warm hand on my shoulder and turn to stand face to face with Louis Tomlinson.

"Alexia...I..." Louis stumbles, for once in his life it seems like he is at a loss for words. "Last night..."

"Last night we got a lot of work done Louis, I think we are pretty much finished with the project." I cut him off before he can say something that might bring up what happened last night. This wasn't the place for it, I certainly didn't want to have a heart to heart in front of the pizza line. I see the way my words cause the smile on his face to droop a little. He's surprised I'm sure, but if there is one thing that Louis Tomlinson had taught me about myself this semester, it was not to be afraid to speak out. 

Okay, maybe this wasn't speaking out the _truth._ And although the deep, romantic, butterflies in my stomach part of me wanted to hear what words would come out of his mouth next, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared of them. What I felt for Louis was so deep now, that learning that he didn't feel the same way or that I had been misreading the signs this entire time would kill me inside, I just wasn't ready for it. 

Louis catches himself. "Right...ready to be turned in. Thanks Alexia" He rests a hand on my shoulder and my breath hitches for a moment, thinking about the feeling of his hand against my skin and bringing me back to the moment I found myself lying on his chest. 

I grab some food and return to the booth, trying to process what had happened. But as usual, there wasn't much time for processing, as Zayn and Marie slide in behind me. 

"What was that?" Marie asks. 

"What was what?" I respond, however I know exactly what "that" she is talking about. She had probably watched the entire thing unfold like a soap opera before her. 

"Your talk with Louis. You totally blew him off."

"I didn't know what to say Marie, plus we are in a public place and I don't know..." I trail off and glance down at my plate.

"Catch me up please?" Zayn interrupts, and I remember that he is sitting here with us.

"Alexia and Louis spent the night together." I see Zayn's eyes light up with shock, and I mentally curse Marie for always taking things out of proportion.

"We did not." I interrupted, shooting glaring eyes across the table to my friend. 

"Correction:" Marie says, picking up her fork for additional emphasis. "Alexia and Louis had a heart-to-heart while studying, shared a kiss, and then fell asleep on top of each other."

I feel the heat rise in my cheeks. Although Zayn and I had grown close over the course of the semester, I doubted he loved constantly being pulled into all the girl drama that kept happening. 

"And how did you feel about that?" Zayn asks. Oh god, time for another group therapy session.

I pause for a moment. "It was good. He's a good guy. And I like him, I do, but..."

"But what Alexia? There aren't excuses anymore. What do you want?" Marie prods.

"I don't know." I shake my head at my friends. 

"You know, Alexia. I know. Zayn knows. Don't be so afraid to say it. So I'll ask you again, what do you want?" Marie says, making some of the fiercest eye contact I have ever seen. 

"I want Louis." I mumble at a voice so low I don't think my friends can hear. Marie puts a hand up to her ear. "I want Louis." I say louder and with more vigor. The words felt good rolling off my tongue, words that had been bottled up inside my mind for so long that I didn't think they would ever see the light of day.

"Good." Zayn smiles. "Now what's keeping you from getting what you want?"

"What if he doesn't feel the same way? I mean, what if this is all some big lie, and he's really the same guy he was the first day of classes? And what if I make a fool out of myself and I ruin our friendship, and what if I get hurt again?" The words flow from my mouth, each one lifting a weight from my shoulders as my burdens were laid on the table. 

"Alexia, nothing in life is guaranteed and we sure as hell don't get everything that we want, but one thing is for certain, you can never get what you want if you don't take the steps to make it happen. You can't get anything without trying. And that's what you need to do, try. Stop fearing what could go wrong, and start dreaming of what could go right." Zayn rests his hand on top of mine, and I know that of all the pieces of advice of gotten in this world, this one could never be more true. 

I focused my life on what could go wrong: what would happen if I failed a test, what would happen if I didn't make it into med school, what would happen if I didn't pursue a great career. I never thought of all the good that came out of failures, I never thought of all the good things that could happen if I chased after what I wanted. Living in fear had trapped me, and there were so many possibilities when I lived life for the moment instead of the future. 

"So you have a decision to make." Marie says looking at me with sincere eyes. For as much crap as I gave my friend there was one thing that she was good at and that was knowing exactly what I needed to hear even when I didn't want to. 

"I already made it. I'm going after what I want."

 


	49. Chapter 49

**Alexia POV**

I slide into my seat near the front of Professor Smithson's classroom. Louis and I have just turned in our Chemistry Project, and although it had been a lot of work, I was pleasantly surprised with the project. Zayn takes a seat next to me and I smile at my friend. 

I was getting major deja vu vibes, sitting in the seat where it all started weeks ago. If you had told me then how I would be feeling know, I would have laughed in your face. I expected to be sitting here loathing with hatred and anguish at how incapable my lab partner was and how much work I had had to put into the project that, fortunately for him, bared both of our names. 

Lucky for me, the semester had turned out quite differently, and though it hadn't been a simple one, it had been one full of growth, learning and perhaps the least expected, love. 

Professor Smithson clears her throat at the front of classroom, gathering the class's attention. "As I said at the beginning of the semester, the final part of your project grade would be made up of what I called a "mystery category". I am now handing out a sheet of paper that will serve to satisfy this requirement. This paper is a lab partner assessment, in which you will be grading your lab partners work ethic and contribution to your project. The only person that will see this survey is me, and so therefore I encourage you to be as honest as possible when answering the questions. Your partner will never know how you assessed them- only their final grade in the course. Detailed feedback is encouraged."

I find myself holding back laughter. The irony of this all, me being paired with the guy who was arguably the worst lab partner in the history of lab partners, only to end the semester totally enamored with him, never wishing that I'd been paired with anyone else. 

And here I was grading Louis on his work as a lab partner, something that had we filled out in the first weeks of class I would have filled with words of his disrespect, laziness and bad attitude. But as I sit here, thinking of how to evaluate Louis as a lab partner, I can't help but think of what the class would have been like without him as mine. How would I have made it through failing a test, being cheated on, worrying about my future? How would I have learned to speak my mind and to live a little? How would I have learned that there is so much more to a person that what they show, there is so much more to the story?

Lab with Louis had been far more than an academic advancement. It had changed my life. It had changed who I was. Being paired with Louis had transformed me, and know sitting here grading him on his performance as a lab partner, all I can bring to mind are words of praise and adoration, words of his support and motivation. Louis wasn't always the greatest LAB partner, but he was by far the best person to help me survive all the struggles that came with my first semester in college. 

I give the paper to Professor Smithson with a smile. "Thank you." I say, with a laugh. 

"I told you I wouldn't give you something you couldn't handle."

The air is brisk as I step outside, and light snowflakes dance to the ground. A beautiful ending to what had been a far from beautiful semester. I take a deep breath, thinking of what I still needed to do to truly wrap the past months up.

I'm deep in thought when I hear the crunch of approaching footsteps, and turn to see Louis, his hair filled with specks of white snowflakes.

"We're done." I say softly and I feel him come to stand beside me, our shoulders barely touching as we stare out onto the nearly empty campus. 

"We passed Chemistry." Louis says with a voice that tells just how much that meant to him.

"You passed Chemistry!" I say with a squeal and turn to wrap Louis in a warm embrace, an embrace that lasts just a little bit longer than it should have.

We pull away slowly, and I look away, feeling awkward about the exchange but trying to muster up the courage to say what I had been planning to say all day. 

"Alexia..." Louis pauses as his foot brushes some snow to the side. "I just wanted to say thank you, for everything, for this semester, for being there even when I hated you, for reminding me of who I was. Just thank you." He looks at me and I get lost in his eyes. So lost I forget what I am supposed to be saying to him right now. 

Louis takes a deep breath, and I give him a reassuring smile, even though my heart is beating a mile a minute and I feel like I might vomit any minute. 

"And I don't know how to say this I guess, but I just want you to know that you've done so much for me. You've changed me, you truly have, and for the better I think. And I'm truly sorry for how awful I treated you before. And...." Louis pauses and I place my gloved hand over his, feeling the warmth radiate through the thick fabric. "And I want you to know that you mean the world to me, you mean so much, more than I want you to sometimes."

I feel my breath hitch. This was what I wanted for so long and now it was finally coming true. 

"Alexia Hollaway, I think I love you." I see the fear in his eyes as he comes clean, and I feel my pulse quicken.

"I love you too." I say quietly, and all at once I feel Louis's warm lips against my own. Although the air is icy cold, I've never felt warmer in my life, as his soft lips brush delicately against my own with passion and love all at once. The lust that has built up over the course of the weeks climaxing in the perfect moment, a moment that takes my breath away and leaves me wanting more all at the same time. 

We pull away a minute later and I stare into the eyes of the beautiful man before me. A man who is everything I could have dreamed of and more.

"We're like two chemicals you know," Louis says, "once we're mixed together we are never the same."

I laugh and roll my eyes "A chemistry joke?"

"You know you love them" he says, and pulls me in for another kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you thought in the comments and feel free to check out some of my other works either here or on Wattpad (@futureATomlinson3)


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